Rescuers recover hunter’s body

Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reports:

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has recovered the body of missing hunter Edward A. Hempel, 70, of Post Falls, from the Bernard Peak area. On Wednesday, in the early evening hours, the 36th Rescue Squadron helicopter from Fairchild AFB spotted a deceased body on the face of a cliff, about ½ miles from the point last seen, and several hundred feet down from a ridge. Due to impending night fall and lack of resources to get to the remains, searchers were forced to wait until daybreak to recover the body.

A helicopter crew from Flathead County, Two-Bear Air, was requested to assist due to its specialized equipment and training. It arrived to the scene at daybreak today and recovered Hempel’s body from the hillside. The body was delivered to a Sheriff’s marine unit at the base of the mountain along the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille.

Notifications were made to Hempel’s family this morning by sheriff’s detectives. An autopsy will be conducted at a later time.

The Sheriff’s Office expresses our condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Hempel and offers gratitude to the dedicated searchers that aided in his recovery.