Divers retrieve Realtor’s body from lake

Realtor Gary Fox’s body was pulled from Lake Coeur d’Alene around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, nearly a week after he fell off his boat on the way to a yacht club function.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department used a remote-operated vessel to help divers retrieve the 57-year-old’s body, which was located Wednesday using side-scan sonar equipment. Authorities attempted to retrieve Fox on Wednesday, but gave up for the day because of murky water and windy weather.

The recovery mission resumed early Thursday.

Sheriff’s Lt. Kim Edmondson said an autopsy was being performed Thursday afternoon. She said toxicology tests would be done as part of the autopsy but results likely wouldn’t be available for at least a couple of weeks.

She said additional information wouldn’t be released because Fox’s death was still under investigation.

Fox and his wife, Denise, were about 500 feet from shore in the Carlin Bay area last Friday evening when he apparently fell off their 54-foot boat.

When Denise Fox heard her husband cry out and realized he had fallen overboard, she tried to throw him a rope, family friend Bruce Mathis told the newspaper. Gary Fox couldn’t reach the rope, Mathis said.

His wife maneuvered the boat so she could throw the rope again, but he disappeared beneath the water.

Authorities searching the lake the next morning said the water was 43 degrees.

Mathis said Gary Fox had recently waxed his boat, which he believed may have contributed to the accident.

Gary and Denise Fox had been married for more than 20 years. Gary Fox has a son, Russell, from a previous marriage.

Details on services for Gary Fox were unavailable Thursday.