UPDATE: Search for missing hiker scaled back

Friday, June 24, 2016

A search for a hiker that went missing in the mountains north of Mountain Home nearly a week ago was scaled back Thursday morning with some teams expected to continue their efforts on a more limited basis.

Sheriff Rick Layher confirmed that the intensive parts of the search were called off after crews from several counties had conducted an extensive sweep through the Queen River area in northern Elmore County on Wednesday.

The Elmore County Sheriff's Office received a call the evening of June 17 regarding reports of the overdue hiker, who went missing in the Sawtooth Wilderness Recreation Area.

The lone hiker began at the Queens River trail head near Atlanta and failed to return as planned. The last location provided by the hiker's personal satellite beacon was received June 15.

The name of the missing individual and other personal information regarding his identity was not released by the sheriff's department, per his family's request.

Resources from multiple agencies were called in during the search and included assets from Elmore, Boise, Blaine and Twin Falls counties, the U.S. Forest Service and the Idaho National Guard. In addition, air assets from the Idaho National Guard, aircraft from Bear Air in Montana and a fixed wing aircraft from the Ada County Sheriff's Office were involved in the coordinated effort.

Anyone that was hiking in the Queens River, Pinchot Mountain, Elk Lake, Blacknose Mountain and Benedict Lake areas between June 13 and June 22 who noticed a single hiker are asked to call the Elmore County Sheriff's Office at 587-2100.

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