Stranded Idaho man found dead in remote part of Lincoln County

An Idaho man was found dead March 23 in an isolated area near the Montana-Idaho border after his vehicle got stuck in deep snow.

According to a news release from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, 74-year-old Timothy Wall of Naples, Idaho was found about three miles from the border on the Southside Road near Star Creek, west of Troy.

The Sheriff's Office received a report at about 3 p.m., March 23 that someone found a body of a dead man. The caller said his son had been driving on the Southside Road when he found the man, laying in the snow, obviously deceased. 

Sheriff’s deputies and detectives responded to the area and found Wall. 

Members of David Thompson Search and Rescue responded and transported the Lincoln County coroner and deputy coroner to the scene to assist with the investigation, which indicated that Wall had possibly died of hypothermia. No signs of foul play were found.

On March 24, deputies and detectives from the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office joined by law enforcement officers from Lincoln County found Wall's vehicle approximately two miles from the state line in Idaho. It appeared that Wall had gotten stuck in deep snow and attempted to walk out.

According to the 911 call log from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, another stranded motorist in the vicinity got help and was able to leave following an incident on March 22.

According to the dispatch report, the incident occurred at mile marker 27 on Yaak River Road after a caller reported seeing the word “help” written in the snow in a driveway. The Upper Yaak Fire Department was responding when they got another call that the driver got a jump start and was on his way.