Body of missing snowmobiler recovered
FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) - UPDATE 3:40 p.m. At approximately 1 p.m. Thursday, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Fremont County Search and Rescue recovered the body of missing rider Scott Lavery.
"We would like to extend a special thank you to Air Idaho Rescue, Fremont County EMS, High Mountain Adventures, and to everyone who helped search for Mr Lavery. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his friends and family at this time."
Next of kin has been notified.
No further details will be released.
UPDATE 2/16/21: The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office along with Fremont County Search and Rescue resumed the search for missing snow machine rider Scott Lavery Thursday morning and will continue searching through the day.
There have been no reported sightings of Lavery.
Fremont County Search and Rescue Commander Nick Hubbard appreciates the outreach of support and requests for assistance but is not asking for addition support at this time.
Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries would like to ask anyone traveling to Island Park this holiday weekend to keep their eyes open for Lavery and his snow machine.
Sheriff Humphries would also like to remind everyone that weather conditions can change in an instant and there is a high danger for avalanches in the back county. Officials encourage those recreating in Island Park this weekend to be prepared. Some suggested backpack items are avalanche beacon, whistle, flares, tarps, spare clothing, emergency food, headlamps, lighter or fire starter, and a small first aid kit. They also recommend you let someone know your starting point and destination, as well as your expected arrival time.
ORIGINAL: Valentine's Day took a mean turn for a group of snowmobilers in Fremont County. The group lost contact with a member of their group in the afternoon, and when they regrouped at their hotel hoping he might have beat them there, they saw that their friend was still missing so they called for help.
"They lost contact with him about 130 in the afternoon, searched for a few hours by themselves, and were unable to find him. Then they called us a couple of hours after to assist in searching for him," Sergeant Cody Gudmunson with Fremont County Sheriff's office said.
A night of searching has now turned into a day-long effort with resources in the sky, and on the ground as snowmobile teams go out in threes looking for their missing man.
Crews are hoping for the best, but they do face challenges along the way.
"We got some really rough terrain. We got some steep mountains. Avalanche conditions right now are pretty considerable. So we ought to take that into effect. Last night during the search, we had really high winds. Zero visibility. Nobody could see, two feet in front of them is what I was told. So really bad, really bad conditions last night for the search," Gudmunson said.
69-year-old Scott Lavery of Shingle Springs, Cali. was last seen wearing a gray coat with black pants. He was also last seen riding a black and orange sled. He is 5 ft 6 with grey hair and green eyes and was wearing a black and grey coat with black snow pants. Gudmunson says tips and volunteers are welcome.
"If anybody sees that, looks out of the street in distress, stop and see if I need some help and let us know."
You can reach the Fremont County Dispatch at 208-624-4482 if you saw something that may help the search.
