Sheriff: Boise man is missing after jumping in Salmon River to save 3 children
Published at
Hayley Harding, Idaho Statesman
A Boise man is missing after he jumped into the Salmon River to rescue three children who had fallen out of a canoe.
Keawe Pestana, 34, jumped in the river on Friday, April 26, approximately 15 miles up the Big Salmon at the Twin Beaches campground. He surfaced briefly but ultimately was not seen again, according to an Idaho County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post. The children, who were wearing life jackets, made it to safety.
Family and personnel from the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Bureau of Land Management, assisted in the search. Life Flight also searched the river for Pestana.
They were unable to locate him, and the search continued Saturday and Sunday with help from the sheriff’s office, BLM and members of the Idaho County Posse. Efforts to find Pestana are to continue daily by driving the river road, according to a release. People who recreate on the river are encouraged to call the sheriff’s office with information.
The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office reminded people that the Salmon River remains cold and dangerous even as the temperature is rising and that people should always wear a life jacket in and around water.