Idaho Cold Cases

02/11/2026

There are quite a few cases I post about which occurred well after I started my cold case project at the end of 2013. When someone goes missing or is murdered in Idaho, I truly don't want them to end up on this page. Most don't. Sadly for their family and friends, some will.

Jeffrey Alan Vik, 61, went missing from Boise on 11/1/2019. He's described as 6'4", 220 lbs, wearing glasses and may have started a winter beard.

His vehicle, a silver Mercury Sable, was found parked near the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, OR. One source says he was last seen getting gas in The Dalles.

His wallet and keys were still in the vehicle. No further activities in his bank account occurred.

For several years, Jeff taught tai-chi classes in Idaho and was well-respected as a teacher. If alive, he'd be 68 now.

There's been very little media about this case. I'm not even sure if he's the one who drove his car all the way to Newport or if someone else did? I don't know what his mental state was at the time.

This is a Boise Police Department case or contact Crime Stoppers of Idaho if you need to say something.

31/10/2026

For years, I've written about the 2012 tragic murder of 35-year old Sara Gillespie McPherson, a 1995 Minidoka High School graduate who married William McPherson and relocated to Mt. Juliet, TN.

William and Sara were having marital issues and divorcing, yet the estranged couple agreed to meet Halloween night to take their children trick-or-treating. It was also their anniversary.

After this, William says he went home with the kids and put them to bed. Nobody knows if he left the house after they fell asleep.

Around 1:15AM, a patrolman noticed a car parked with the headlights on at a storage unit facility. When he got closer, he discovered Sara shot to death in the front seat.

William didn't call her family with the news. They had to find out later when investigators went through her personal items and found a way to contact them. He continued to be very evasive with her family and cut off contact.

William took the kids and moved. I always hoped the kids would see this page, or the awareness news, or any form of social media to know their family in Idaho and Washington missed them desperately.

The children, 7 and 11 at the time, have grown up and left their father's home in Alaska. I'm told they have nothing to do with William anymore. I love that family contact has been reestablished and police have talked to them. Unfortunately, their memories from that night don't tell us anything more.

Mt. Juliet Police Department has this cold case.

Remembering Sara today, a mother who's last happy memory was the joy of seeing her kids in costume on Halloween.

31/10/2026

October 31, 1952

Pocatello resident Ina Greene, 74 and widowed, left her westside home at 804 W. Wyeth for a walk up city creek as she often did. She is assumed to have headed towards Mt. Kinport. One article says bloodhounds traced her for six miles to the edge of the canyon, but the scent of all the searchers confused them and they stopped there.

She was never seen again.

Numerous groups, including Boy Scouts, searched for Ms. Greene, and the temperatures plummeted to the teens at night.
A hankerchief was located and identified as hers. I'd sure like to know where it was found.

Finally on November 24, 1952, the search was called off.

According to the paper, in January 1953, police tabbed her file as "Unsolved".

A year later, areas around her home were excavated because a woman who walked by it several times smelled a bad odor. No results there either.

In 1915, Ina became the President of Citizen's Bank of Pocatello, established in 1905. She was known as one of the few female bank presidents in the United States and the only one in the northwest at the time.

Ina did not have any children. Her case disappeared from the news after 1952, except for a 1960 legal notice that her estate went to probate and her sister was named administrator.

30/10/2026

This isn't a good week in Idaho cold case history.

On 10/28/76, the body of Trina Kelsey, a 16-year old attending Madison High in Rexburg, was discovered north of Ririe in a canal. Her clothing was intact except her jeans were hooked on barbed wire and her jacket was in a nearby canal, caught on driftwood. Her shoes were off. The Thursday prior, Trina left home to attend a party.

Someone was responsible for her death, others know about it, but time and death takes away the possibility of charges or convictions in some cases. No one was arrested, even as an accomplice.

On 10/27/1973, 15-year old Debra Prety was walking home from a junior high dance in Coeur d'Alene. When she didn't make it home, her family searched for her until her brother found her body across the street. She'd been r***d and strangled.

Duncan McKenzie Jr. was long suspected in Debra's death. However, he refused to be interviewed by Idaho investigators in the years prior to his ex*****on in Montana. McKenzie had a history of violence against women and lived a few blocks away from Prety. Conveniently, he left town a month after Debra's death and moved to Conrad, MT where he killed 23-year old school teacher Lana Harding.

He was executed in 1995 and even then refused to admit anything to do with Debra's murder. THANKFULLY law enforcement continued to follow up on her case, in 2021 they announced he was her killer via DNA testing.

10/29/64 - 16-year old Blackfoot student Susan Hansen left to Dan's Mighty Market on a grocery errand. After visiting the store, she went missing. The car was found a few blocks from her home, with 65 extra miles on it and soil samples underneath found to be from areas along the Snake River. They knew the mileage was a problem because the car had been serviced recently.

Her body was discovered on 11/22/64, floating in the Spring Creek of the Fort Hall Reservation. She died from severe head blows.

In 1989, a fingerprint hit from the rearview mirror connected John Hevewah Jr. (who was 19 at the time) to her vehicle and he was arrested. Even though he was charged and put on trial, the prosecution moved to dismiss charges in March 1991 after multiple witnesses came forward and shed doubt on the case and ultimately the ability to get a conviction of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Three teens, three tragic lives cut far too short for their loved ones.

29/10/2026

Now this is a pretty cool cold case solve about a 1983 missing woman from
Idaho! That's good legwork to find an answer.

Source: Daily Fly News

Idaho Woman Who Disappeared in 1983 Identified After Cold Case Investigation

CHALLIS, ID — A woman who disappeared from Challis more than four decades ago has been identified after investigators with the Custer County Sheriff’s Office reopened her case in 2025.

Lois Ford was approximately 40 years old when she was last known to be living in Challis in 1983. She disappeared, along with her 1978 Ford Thunderbird, leaving her family without answers about what happened to her.
Over the years, family members sought help from private investigators, law enforcement contacts and others. One possibility considered was that Ford had been involved in an undiscovered vehicle accident. However, those efforts did not establish her whereabouts.

In 2025, family members contacted the Custer County Sheriff’s Office and requested a new investigation. The case was assigned to Dave Walls, the department’s records and evidence supervisor, who had previous experience investigating cold cases involving missing persons.

Walls discovered that Ford had never been formally reported missing due to confusion among family members. He entered her information into a national missing persons database and began reviewing historical records.

With assistance from Idaho State Police Investigator Karl Noah, Walls examined hundreds of unidentified remains cases in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada.

Investigators also contacted coroners, reviewed historical accident records and searched genealogical databases.

Investigators eventually located court records from another Idaho county dating to 1992 that contained an alias resembling Ford’s name. According to the sheriff’s office, handwriting analysis indicated that signatures on the documents were likely Ford’s, suggesting she had been alive in the Boise area in 1992.

Walls subsequently contacted Ada County Sheriff’s Detective Tim Cooper for assistance. Additional searches of Idaho fingerprint records revealed several possible aliases associated with Ford.

Cooper located historical Boise Police Department records documenting multiple contacts with a woman believed to be Ford. Those records eventually led investigators to an Ada County coroner’s case from 1993.
After reviewing the coroner’s records and photographs, Walls determined that the deceased woman was Ford. Family members also positively identified her.

According to the sheriff’s office, Ford had been experiencing homelessness before her death in 1993. Investigators indicated that mental illness may have been a factor in her circumstances.
Ford had been buried under another name because the coroner was unable to locate her next of kin at the time.

The identification has provided Ford’s children and grandchildren with answers about her disappearance and allowed them to restore her identity after decades of uncertainty.

The Custer County Sheriff’s Office thanked Detective Tim Cooper of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office and Investigator Karl Noah of the Idaho State Police for their assistance in resolving the case.

Link to source: https://www.dailyfly.com/2026/10/29/idaho-woman-who-disappeared-in-1983-identified-after-cold-case-investigation/

29/10/2026

On October 26, 1999, Brian Ross Ritchie, 36, of Boise disappeared, along with a fi***rm from his home. He was wearing white painter's pants, a white t-shirt, and a blue plaid shirt.

His truck was located in Boise County. northeast of Banks on 11/5/99.

Brian has never been found. He's out there somewhere.

I'd like to know exactly where his vehicle was found for my file if someone has that info.

Did you know Brian? Did you assist in any searches for him?

28/10/2026

May 12, 1998

Update: FIGG (Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy) is currently underway. Confirmed 10/29/26. -- Crystal, Page Owner

I've been asked by law enforcement to share this odd unidentified remains case. It started in Teton County Wyoming, but you never know if someone following this page recognizes a clue.

On 5/12/98, a man and his dog were hiking up the Cache Creek drainage, which is east/southeast of Jackson in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Hikers, mountain bikers and cross country skiers may recognize the area.

The hiker spotted a human skull, and promptly notified law enforcement. As they responded, more of the skeleton was located including a sneaker holding what was left of a foot, an IV with a drip setup hanging from a tree, a needle where his arm once was, tubes and vials, and threads of clothing. That's not something you see every day.

The degraded vials were tested but did not yield any useable results. Theories began, maybe he was trying to hydrate or treat himself in some way. Drug user? Poisoned himself? Homicide?

His height was determined to be 5'7"-5'10", weight 140-170 lbs. Time of death, 1990-1995. This is an adult male 20-65 with silver tooth filings.

The crazy thing about this case: law enforcement HAS DNA and it's uploaded into CODIS, and we still don't have a match. Literally zero hits.

To me, that means this man was never reported missing. Or if he was, no close family member has given their DNA to law enforcement to help match against John Doe remains out there.

Oddly, on June 3, 1998, an anonymous caller told police years prior he found what appeared to be a su***de note in the parking lot at the end of Cache Creek. It was in very poor condition, barely legible. Police do not have the caller's name and would love for him to come forward with what he remembers about the note.

Take a look at the photos below, especially the shoes. Perhaps you know of a missing person skilled in inserting his own IV and may have left to camp or die in the outdoors with supplies?

The clay reconstruction may or may not be accurate.

This is definitely an odd case that deserves more exposure.

All tips can be sent to the Teton County Wyoming Sheriff's Office, 307-733-2331 or [email protected].
Or message me and I'll pass it along.

EMAIL is better in my opinion, explain what you know and they'll get back to you if it's a tip they want to explore further.

Thank you for sharing into other sites or helping research any avenues you can think of for potential hits.

25/10/2026

Thank you so much to Jen and the Cowboy State Daily in Wyoming. This case has Wyoming and Idaho roots and is a still a cold case in Bonneville County.

I'm hoping someone who follows this page will recall seeing Tonya with a trucker.

Nearly 30 years after the naked body of an 18-year-old Shoshoni woman was found decomposing along an Idaho highway, investigators are still pushing to…

21/10/2026

October 21, 1961

We lost another Idaho hunter on this day, only 19 years old. Another man died hunting in the same area, same weekend. Clint Hilling, 32, of Burley and Floyd Dorsey, 19, of Paul both went missing October 21st when they were hunting separately in the South Hills. A snowstorm hit, and many were unprepared.

Dorsey was seen at about 11AM, in the Monument Peak area near Trapper Creek, about 32 miles south of Burley. He was only 500 yards from his camp when he was spotted by Harold Cavener of Paul and later Leon Pickett of Murtaugh. Leon Wolfe of Twin Falls also said Dorsey came to his camp to get warm. Additionally, a group of women saw Dorsey when he had coffee at their camp, and despite their protests, Dorsey left to retrieve a deer he'd shot, another article says he left to find his hunting party. The last sighting of him was about 4PM in the Pickett Corral area. Seems like so many people saw and talked with him, then he simply vanished.

It's believed Dorsey took a wrong turn in the snowstorm. It's unknown if he fell in a ravine or something steeper, which made searching more difficult. His mother held out hope he was still alive, and had possibly began walking towards the Nevada border.

There's a steep ravine between the Wolfe camp and the point where Dorsey's hunting party had been camped which searchers found difficult to fully search according to an old article.

When the searches were called off, his mother was quoted as saying "He's still in those mountains."

Air and ground searches throughout the decade resulted in zero clues to Dorsey's location. The family held a memorial service for him in April of 1969. He was remembered as a graduate of Minico High School, a Methodist church member, and employed at the Texaco station. He loved cars, and belonged to a local car club called "The Webs".

Two other hunters died of exposure that weekend in the storm, Frank Hayden of Heyburn and Fred Reed of Aberdeen. Joe Martinez, a bow hunter, died in the South Hills in September when his body was found at the bottom of a desolate canyon. They estimated at least 15 searchers had come within 15 feet of his body, but because of his clothing and the grass and sagebrush Martinez was very camouflaged.

The National Guard and local farmers helped evacuate almost 30 hunters from the Almo Park area the same weekend Dorsey went missing due to a blizzard. It sounds like it was a horrible, tragic weekend for many.

Clint Hilling was hunting in the Bear Flats area north of Monument Peak. His body was eventually located at the foot of a cliff one-half mile from his campsite in the Bear Flats.

Dorsey is still missing. He's up there somewhere, just like his mother mournfully stated.

Although many agencies helped in his case, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Cassia County Sheriff's Office if you spot something while hunting.

20/10/2026

October 20, 1974

Seventeen year old Mark S. Carlsen of Boise heads out for hunting in Boise County, a pastime many Idahoans are out doing right now. According to reports, Mark had driven his Mustang out to Huckleberry Flat (below the Harris Creek summit) the Sunday prior and was spotted alive and well twice on the ridge above the creek by Mr. and Mrs. Sherman Rood of Emmett. The first time they saw him he was wearing his orange/red jacket, the second time he carried it.

Somehow, Mark died on this trip in a way that doesn't make any sense. In the brush entangled ridges that rise above Huckleberry Flat, he was found with his face submerged in the icy waters of the creek. Snow had covered his body.

His jacket and r***e were missing. He had mud caked on one side of his clothing, as if he'd been dragged or dragged himself along. He had scratches on his head, with gravel imbedded in them.

A bullet had penetrated Mark's abdomen from the front, according to Dr. Miles Thomas at St. Al's in Boise.

Did Mark's Sears 30-30 r***e fire the fatal shot? By who, Mark or someone else? Several theories were explored. Perhaps he fell after the shot and rolled down to the creek, dragging himself to water. Loss of blood causes extreme thirst they said. None of this accounted for the mud caked on one side. His watch, wallet and other valuables were still on him, but where were the gun and jacket?

Medical personnel estimated it would have taken Mark about 30 minutes to die after bleeding out from the gunshot.

There may have been someone else with Mark on his hunting trip. Persons of interest have refused to be interviewed, or cancelled their interviews with police. Before he left, Mark's sister told him he shouldn't hunt alone. He told her he wouldn't be alone, someone else was going with him, but didn't say who.

His hunting r***e was found 2 years later, a MILE from where his body was found. His hunting jacket was never recovered. Nor was the bullet that killed him.

Mark's case was investigated by the Boise County Sheriff's Office and later taken over by the Idaho State Police.

If you know something, say something. You aren't getting any younger, and it's a burdensome secret best not taken to the grave.