Body of Lewiston man recovered in Clearwater River

The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered a Lewiston man’s body from the Clearwater River on Friday morning.

The body of Wayne Kirtley Jr., 57, was discovered in about 14 feet of water about 150 feet from the shoreline, the sheriff’s office said in a release. The sheriff’s office had responded to a report at about 7:50 p.m. that Kirtley went into the water on the south side of Memorial Bridge in Lewiston and did not resurface.

Rescue teams from the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office and the Asotin County Sheriff’s Office continued to look for Kirtley until dark with no success, the release said.

The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office advised the public to use caution when swimming in any of the local rivers.

“The waters around the region are still high with the mountain snow run off and still cold,” the sheriff’s office said. “The temperature of the Clearwater River near the Memorial Bridge is currently about 56 degrees.”