Man dies of massive heart attack while recreating near Eagle Creek

MURRAY – A Spokane man was found deceased in the Shoshone County wilderness on Monday after suffering a heart attack.

The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office reports that on May 6 at 2:52 p.m., dispatch received a call from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center referencing an SOS message. The message stated, “Heart” and gave GPS coordinates close to Eagle Creek Road near Murray, Idaho. At that time, medical units were dispatched.

While medical units were en route, the reporting party, Robert Hopkins of Spokane, Washington, was able to locate a residence in the area of Eagle Creek and used their phone to call the Sheriff’s Office. Robert told SCSO dispatch that he believed his friend, whom he had been riding ATVs with at the time, had a heart attack and died. Hopkins then described the incident occurring at a remote location off of Eagle Creek Road.

With the updated information, medical units were staged while two Shoshone County deputies and the Shoshone County Coroner, Rick Smith, responded with search and rescue equipment. After negotiating challenging terrain, they later located and recovered Todd David La Rue, 52, of Spokane, Washington, from a location approximately 5.2 miles up National Forest Road 152.

After an autopsy was conducted, it was determined La Rue died as a result of a massive heart attack.