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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man missing after disappearing in Coeur d’Alene river

The Coeur d’Alene River flows through Kellogg in 2018. A man went missing Saturday after jumping into the river to retrieve a set of boat keys that had gone overboard.  (KATHY PLONKA/THE SPOKESMAN-REVEW)

A man has been reported missing after diving into the Coeur d’Alene River to retrieve boat keys that had fallen overboard.

At approximately 4:10 p.m. Saturday, emergency responders arrived at a section of the river in the vicinity of Idaho State Highway 3 and Kilarney Lake Road, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. They found a woman who had been boating with the man. The man and woman had been swimming to recover the keys.

The woman, who was wearing a life jacket after getting out of the boat, swam safely to shore. She heard the man calling for help and attempted to throw him her life jacket, but he sank below the surface.

Divers attempted to find the man for over an hour but were unsuccessful. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office sonar team is searching for him.

The Sheriff’s Office news release states that the investigation is ongoing and “names of those involved have not been released pending notification of next of kin.”

Parts of the Coeur d’Alene River from Rose Lake to the Highway 3 Bridge south of Kilarney Lake Road may be closed to boaters Sunday during the search.