Jack Thomas: Idaho hiker’s remains found seven years after he went missing
BOISE COUNTY, IDAHO: The family of Jack Thomas, a missing hiker, has finally gotten closure after his remains were discovered seven years after his disappearance.
Thomas was 66 when he reportedly vanished on June 15, 2016, while hiking in Idaho's Sawtooth Range.
At the time, Boise County Sheriff's Office issued a notice, describing him as a man weighing 155 lbs (70 Kg) with 5 ft 8 in height. His hair color was given as white while his eye color was blue.
Where Jack Thomas’ remains were found?
Detective Max Sprague with the Boise County Sheriff's Office told KTVB that they were informed about Thomas’ remains on July 19 after a few hikers went to Benedict Lake.
They eventually ended up going off the trail route and while coming down, they located clothes and an ID of the missing old man.
Following this initial sighting by the hikers, the Boise County Sheriff's Office along with the Sawtooth Outfitters and Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue launched a search operation.
After two weeks of work, Thomas’ skeleton was discovered as well as a satellite GPS device and a day pack. Boise County Coroner Pam Garlock shared, as per the Idaho Statesman, that the hiker “probably succumbed to hypothermia due to a fall.”
What did Jack Thomas’ family say?
Sprague spoke with the wife of Thomas after his remains were found. He said, as per PEOPLE, “The first thing that I talked about was that we didn't recover everything.”
“The reason why is because it was a beautiful spot and he didn't seem like the kind of person that wanted to be buried in some cemetery,” he shared.
The detective added, “His wife actually reacted really positive to that. She said, ‘Had we recovered everything earlier, we would have cremated him and took him back up to that spot because he apparently really enjoyed it.’”
After the tragic update about Thomas was out, several people took to Facebook to share their thoughts.
A user wrote, “So happy for his family it’s so very hard to not know where your loved one is.”
Another user shared, “Sending prayers. At last, you have closure.” The third one commented, “Prayers for his family.”
The fourth one added, “Blessings to his family.”