POWER COUNTY, Idaho — The remains of a woman discovered nearly three years ago in the Fort Hall River bottoms in Idaho have been identified as those of a missing Spokane woman.
On July 30, 2022, a fisherman found a human skull along the Fort Hall River in Power County. The next day, investigators from the Fort Hall Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Power County Coroner’s Office searched the area.
No other skeletal remains were found and no signs of trauma were seen on the skull.
In April of 2024, Idaho State Police offered help to the Power County Sheriff’s Office to try and identify the skull.
In May of this year, the skull was entered into a national database for missing and unidentified persons. Two possible matches were identified. One was later ruled out due to DNA comparison, but the second match was confirmed through dental records.
The match was that of Lesiah Olivia Pickett, who had been missing since 2019.
ISP says Pickett lived a transient lifestyle and was last seen in the Pocatello area. Pickett’s family has been notified about the identification of the remains.
“Behind every unidentified person is a family searching for answers, and behind every investigation like this is a team who refuses to give up,” Colonel Bill Gardiner, Director of ISP, said. “This case is a testament to what dedicated investigators and forensic professionals can accomplish when they work together across agencies and jurisdictions. We’re grateful to have played a part in giving Ms. Pickett her name back and bringing her family the answers they’ve long deserved.”
If you saw Pickett after October 20, 2019 or have any information about where she might have stayed, especially in southeast Idaho or the surrounding areas, call the Power County Sheriff’s Office at 208-226-2311.
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