Missing man found dead

When a loved one goes missing, it has been said that the worst part is the “not knowing.”

Being stuck between the emotions of hope and sorrow can be taxing on anyone’s psyche.

Even though the family of 54-year-old Mark Arnold of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho finally has an answer as to his whereabouts and condition, it still isn’t easy when it’s not the answer you wanted.

After not being heard from since the afternoon of May 11, The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), and Two Bear Air conducted a search and rescue operation covering approximately 235 square miles of wilderness of with the hopes of finding Arnold unharmed.

Sadly, Arnold’s body was located by family friends around 9 a.m. near Hemlock Mountain on Sunday.

Shoshone County Sheriff’s deputy Jeffery Demery explains that the wilderness made it difficult for crews to search for him.

“Initial indications showed an 18 mile radial area from Wardner Peak after Mr. Arnold’s Cell phone was pinged. We were not able to get a closer location due to the phone only hitting on one cell tower and not being able to triangulate a more exact location.”

Although the coroner’s report had yet to be released at press time, Demery says that Arnold’s death was attributed to wrecking his 2003 Mazda B4000 pickup truck (4x4) sometime Thursday.

“It appears Mr. Arnold’s vehicle left Forest Service road 335, approximately 1.5 miles SE of Stull Saddle, before striking a tree on the steep downhill side of the road,” deputy Demery explained.

“It appears his vehicle was traveling NW along the road when it left the roadway.”

It was reported earlier by KCSO that Arnold went up to the Lavern Saddle area in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest with the intention of picking mushrooms.

Arnold had frequented the entire area, hunting and mushroom picking, for approximately 40 years and the site of the accident was near an old family hunting camp.

Demery says that the cause of the rollover crash is currently under investigation, but it is believed that Arnold was killed instantly and did not survive the initial impact (it does not appear that he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident).

Demery added that “the family has been notified and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”

Shoshone County Sheriff’s Mike Gunderson praised the collaborative effort between all participating organizations, especially in an area that makes this type of task difficult.

“It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” Gunderson said, “people had driven past that area (where the vehicle was found) several times, but did not see him due to the heavy foliage in the area.”

If you have information about this incident, contact the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 556-1114.