GRANGEVILLE, Idaho — Idaho County officials say human remains found along the Salmon River earlier this month may belong to a Boise man who disappeared on a fishing trip in 2017.
Idaho County Sheriff Doug Giddings told The Lewiston Tribune Wednesday that the skeletal remains of a human hand have been sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.
Giddings said it could be months before the results are known, but he believes the bones are likely that of 54-year-old John Randall French, who drove into the river three years ago.
The remains were discovered Jan. 5 near Skookumchuck by a woman who was recreating in the area. Giddings said French is the only known missing person in the area.
Authorities don’t know why French went off the highway, which borders the river, but Giddings said these types of crashes often occur when people fall asleep while driving. French’s pickup truck has not been found, though his license plate was found at the scene.
