Fisherman’s Body Believed Under Logjam

The body of a Troy fisherman missing in the Kootenai River may be under a logjam downstream from where the Yaak River flows in, but officials said the current is so strong they cannot get to it.

Russell Owen, 49, of Troy, was reported missing Monday evening when the boat he was in capsized. Two companions made it to shore safely.

Lincoln County sheriff’s Lt. Daryl Anderson said a specially trained rescue dog detected something in the logjam and it’s probably Owen’s body.

“We trust the dog,” Anderson said. “I’m pretty sure he is in there.”

Anderson said the logjam is behind a large, deep eddy, filled with big boulders. A rescue diver using safety ropes had to be pulled from under the logjam Thursday because of the strong current there. In the process, he became tangled in one of the ropes.

The three men were in a 12-foot aluminum boat with a small outboard motor. Anderson said the three were trying to steer the boat across some whitewater when the boat started taking on water and finally capsized.