Jay Deming found alive after two days lost in wilderness
After spending the better part of two days lost in the North Idaho wilderness, 39-year old Jay Deming of Kootenai County is coming home to his family.
Deming was reported missing on Monday at 6 p.m. after he failed to return from walking his 11-month old Labrador puppy Nibbs in the Lost Creek area north of Prichard.
Once the call was made, Shoshone County Sheriff Mike Gunderson requested assistance from neighboring agencies to begin the search.
Setting up a base camp just south of Lost Creek on Coeur d’Alene River Road, a task force comprised of Shoshone County Search and Rescue (SCSR), Kootenai County Search and Rescue (KCSR), Kootenai County Backcountry unit, Two-Bear air out of Montana, the Civil Air Patrol from Coeur d’Alene (the Air Force auxiliary), and several other volunteers began to search the area.
Rescue teams had a general idea of where Dening was going by following footprints and other signs indicating his direction.
Finally, going on day three, a member of the Kootenai County Search and Rescue team located Deming near Clee Creek with his dog.
Deming, who was not wearing suitable winter clothes when he disappeared, was suffering from undisclosed injuries at the time of his rescue. His injuries combined with the remoteness of the area where he was found forced emergency crews to airlift him out via helicopter.
Once he was lifted out, he was taken to Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene for further treatment.
Jeremy Deming, Jay’s older brother, said the entire situation was tough to believe.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Jeremy said, “It’s like a movie, you never think you’re going to be in this kind of position. I was freezing just standing out here. To think that my brother was out in the woods without good equipment ... It’s hard to stay positive.”
Once Jay was found though, quiet doubt was replaced with tears of joy and smiles by all of Deming’s family members at the base camp.
Gunderson was incredibly proud of the rescue crew’s effort over the past few days and even happier with the situation’s outcome.
“It shows when we work together great things can happen,” he said.
Gunderson also believes that even Deming’s dog Nibbs played a role in his survival.
“Animals have an amazing ability to lift our spirits and keep us motivated,” Gunderson said. “It was an option to keep him warm at night as well so (the dog) defiantly assisted in keeping him alive.”
With a successful operation in the books and a lost man going back home to his family, Gunderson would like to thank all the organization involved for their hard work.