In early September of 1968, 39-year-old Raymond Jones was hunting for mountain goats in the rugged mountains of Idaho’s Lemi County when he went missing.
Turns out he tried to take a shortcut through a mountain pass and was never seen again. 53 years later, another man was bowhunting in the same area and decided to try taking the same shortcut, and he stumbled upon the skeletal remains of the missing Jones.
According to East Idaho News, The hunter called the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Department to report the discovery, and the story of Jones’ disappearance was back in the news more than a half-century after the case went cold.
Lemhi County Sheriff spoke on the situation shortly after the hunter’s findings were reported.
“The hunter was seeking a shortcut from one hunting area to another when he found human remains and then contacted the sheriff’s office.
Due to the lack of remaining daylight and ruggedness of the terrain, recovery efforts began on the morning of the 18th.”
When deputies investigated the scene, they were able to recover Jones’s wallet, which still had his identification inside. Several of his family members are still alive and have been contacted and updated.
A recently uncovered story in the Association Press from September of 1968 detailed the man’s disappearance and the subsequent but unsuccessful search to find him.
“There were some other hunters in camp, but he was by himself when he disappeared.”
A day after Jones disappeared, an extensive search was launched.
More than 70 people took to the mountains looking for him, and their efforts included additional support from aircraft.
However, a severe snowstorm rolled into the area, and the search was paused due to safety concerns. Shortly after that, footprints were discovered on a nearby ridge, and search efforts picked back up, but Jones was never found, until 53 years later, that is.
“It’s pretty wild, ain’t it? You have another bowhunter looking for a shortcut who stumbled upon a bowhunter from 53 years ago.”
