A 65-year-old Firth man went missing in 1977. This is Orville Prestwich’s story.
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FIRTH — A 65-year-old Firth man was the center of a search that got underway in June 1977 after he vanished in Wolverine Canyon near Blackfoot.
The story of Orville Prestwich was featured in our weekly Looking Back column, which looks back on what life was like during different periods in east Idaho history.
Orville Prestwich goes missing, search gets underway
Prestwich was reported missing on or about June 2, 1977, when authorities found his pick-up truck at the head of Wolverine Canyon.
Prestwich reportedly refused help from two Idaho Falls men who said Prestwich’s truck was “disabled” after it plunged down a 40-foot embankment in the area he was last seen.
Almost three weeks later, on June 21, 1977, a Bingham County sheriff’s deputy announced they didn’t have any new leads in the case but they “haven’t given up looking for him.”
A spokesman for the Bingham County sheriff’s office said two deputies, B.R. Reaves and Mont Mecham had been assigned full-time to the Prestwich case.
The spokesman mentioned Prestwich had spent many of his years combing the hills in and around the area and should not be considered any sort of novice to the terrain.
However, the spokesman added that the man’s health had not been the best the last few years, especially the strength of his legs. This gave authorities “cause for concern for his physical safety.”
Friends and neighbors of the missing man reportedly volunteered countless hours to help Bingham County authorities in the search.
“We’re getting a lot of help,” a Bingham County sheriff’s deputy said. “But have come up with nothing so far.”
Search runs into a “blank wall”
On July 7, 1977, Bingham County sheriff Dee Jorgensen said the search had run into a “blank wall.”
Jorgensen said the efforts of three search parties which combed the area in the first two weeks after Prestwich’s disappearance were fruitless.
“There were no signs of him up there,” Jorgensen mentioned.
Jorgensen noted deputies were still involved in trying to find Prestwich but no longer on a full-time basis.
“We haven’t had anyone out searching for a while,” Jorgensen stated.
Human remains found
The following year, The Idaho Statesman reported on May 16, 1978, that a body was found in Wolverine Canyon and it was believed to be Prestwich.
Steve Anderson and Don Miller, both of Rexburg, discovered the body while riding cycle trails in the area. They said the body was clothed in a green jacket, white t-shirt, denim trousers and brown cowboy boots.
A Bingham County sheriff’s deputy said a belt buckle and car keys found near the body indicated it was Prestwich but legal identification was going to be made through dental records.
“Prestwich’s truck was found last June with the keys missing,” the article reads. “It was about a mile from where the body was discovered.”
It’s not clear exactly how Prestwich died.
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