Missing Pocatello man’s family says his body found in Owyhee County
OWYHEE COUNTY, Idaho (KTVB) - A body was found Sunday night in the vicinity of a missing man's truck in Owyhee County near Black Canyon, the sheriff's office confirms.
The sheriff's office cannot yet confirm the identity, said Owyhee County victim witness coordinator Jennifer Maund, but it has been turned over to the coroner for identification.
Matthew Schultz, 50, is a Pocatello resident who traveled into the outdoors last week and was not heard or seen from since July 6. It is not yet officially confirmed if the body found is related to Schultz's disappearance.
However, his family told KTVB Monday morning the body found is Schultz.
Elise Woolstenhulme, Schultz's niece, said that he died immediately from the injuries he sustained after falling down a 50-foot ravine.
"It is with great sadness that the family of Matt Schultz confirms that his body has been found. Matt passed away doing something he loved, but he loved nothing more than his wife and children. He will be greatly missed by them and all that knew him. We ask for privacy at this time as we grieve the loss of Matt. Funeral arrangements will be forthcoming and shared as they are determined. We would like to thank the Owyhee, Meridian, and Malheur police departments, and the countless volunteers who drove and flew for hours in their extraordinary efforts in searching for Matt," they said in a statement.
Schultz's truck, a light green 2021 Toyota Tacoma, was found by searchers on July 10.
He loves to capture Idaho's beauty on his drone, said his family in a Facebook post, so Schultz ventures into the outdoors often.
"Matt is loved by his family, a father to four including newborn twin girls," Woolstenhulme said in a post.
His cell phone had last been pinged on July 6 about 60 miles south of the Bennet Mountains in Owyhee County, Woolstenhulme said.
