Man missing from Fernan Saddle area since Sunday found alive

A man who has been missing from the Fernan Saddle area near Coeur d’Alene since Sunday was found alive in a ravine Tuesday afternoon.

Crews were working to rescue Joel Brown, 37, as of 1 p.m., according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

A helicopter responded from Flathead, Montana and pulled Brown out of the ravine, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. Responders took him to Kootenai Health for evaluation, where providers found Brown suffered from mild hypothermia.

Brown was reported as a missing person on Sunday. His car was last seen on Forest Service Road 499 near Fernan Saddle. Initially, it was thought the occupants of the car were hiking nearby. But the car was still in the same area on Sunday, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

Forest Service law enforcement officers and sheriff’s deputies contacted Brown’s place of work and learned he missed a shift Saturday.

Law enforcement began searching for Brown on Sunday.

Because of an incoming storm and the threat of lightning, the search was postponed until Monday morning.

The search continued all day Monday with help from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office’s helicopter and Kootenai County Volunteer Search and Rescue.

Brown was believed to be in steep and difficult-to-navigate terrain, the sheriff’s office said. The search resumed Tuesday and Brown was found in the afternoon.

The sheriff’s office said more information would be released after Brown was rescued.