One man found; another missing

Searchers in Shoshone County on Friday discovered the body of a man who had been missing for two days, even as other efforts were still ongoing to determine the whereabouts of another missing man in North Idaho.

In Sandpoint, family and friends of Dan Clune, a 29-year-old software programmer who has been missing since the weekend, are coming cross-country to help in the search.

Friday morning near Rose Lake in Shoshone County, searchers found the body of 38-year-old Kevin Paul Hunter. Hunter, a Kellogg resident and general manager at an auto dealership, had last been seen Wednesday morning at a gas station and mini-mart near Rose Lake.

According to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, it appeared Hunter became stranded when he drove his pickup truck up an overgrown and seldom-used Forest Service spur road near Lake Elise and the rig got stuck.

Hunter was found in his truck. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy next week, sheriff’s officials said.

In Sandpoint, four of Clune’s family members from New York and New Jersey – sister Kristen Clune, brother Ryan Clune, and uncle and aunt Lou and Mary Rainone – arrived Tuesday and have been passing out fliers and retracing Clune’s last known steps to see if they can find someone who may have seen him.

“More family friends are coming from New York,” Mary Rainone said Friday.

“It’s been a full week now. We are just baffled at this point in time.”

According to accounts from Clune’s family and friends, and Sandpoint police Detective Steve Feldhausen, it appears Clune and a small group of friends went to the Long Bridge Grille for dinner and drinks Friday night. The restaurant is at the south end of the Long Bridge.

When the evening was wrapping up at 1:45 a.m. Saturday, his companions discovered Clune was not in the bar. They thought he may have gotten a ride home with someone else, Rainone and friend Derek Wang said.

Clune’s companions drove to his house and did not find him there. They became more alarmed when Clune did not report for work Monday morning, and reported him missing.

There were no fights at the bar, Rainone said. “He just moved out here in September.”

Apparently, no one saw Clune leave the bar. He has no known personal or financial troubles, Feldhausen said.

“There is a boat out searching the lake,” Rainone said. “And I guess it’s so far, so good because they haven’t found anything.”