Campers find body of father who drowned near Palisades Reservoir on Fourth of July
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SWAN VALLEY — A man whose body was found in the Palisades Reservoir has been identified.
Bonneville County Coroner Shante Sanchez has identified the man as Tory Raether, 55, of North Carolina.
According to a Facebook post from Sanchez, the coroner’s office and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office were called on Saturday to Palisades Reservoir after the body of an unresponsive adult man was discovered floating in the water by a nearby camper.
According to the Star Valley Independent, the campers were in the McCoy Creek area and spotted Raether from the shore.
They paddle boarded out to him and called the authorities.
Star Valley Search & Rescue volunteers were already on the water searching for Raether at the time, providing a quick response to the scene and allowing them to recover his body.
Investigators say Raether was visiting Idaho on July 4 with family and spending the day on the Snake River near the reservoir when he located an area commonly referred to as “Jump Off Rock,” located upstream from the Sheep Gulch Boat Ramp, roughly 3 1/2 miles east of Alpine.
After removing his life jacket, he climbed onto the rock and jumped into the water, but did not resurface, Sanchez said.
After jumping in, Raether began to struggle against the strong current, reports SVI.
“Multiple attempts were made by other members of his party to rescue him, but were unsuccessful,” says SVI. “Star Valley Search & Rescue was called to the scene at roughly 7 p.m., where a search operation ensued until it was unsafe to continue due to nightfall.”
Search operations resumed the following morning using drones, rafts, jet skis, and a jet boat. The search continued each day throughout last week until Raether was found on Saturday.
Based on the investigation conducted to date, the preliminary cause and manner of death are consistent with an accidental drowning, according to the coroner’s office.
Raether was a senior vice president, private advisor, and team chief investment officer at Variant Path Wealth Partners within the Rockefeller Global Family Office, according to his biography on the company website.
He was also a father to three children and was involved in many community organizations, including the Kiwanis Club, Habitat for Humanity, Queen City Honor Flight, and Caterpillar Ministries.