Investigators plan thorough search of campground where DeOrr Kunz disappeared
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SALMON – The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a thorough search of the remote campground where DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappeared within the next three weeks.
Lemhi County Sheriff Chief Deputy Steve Penner tells EastIdahoNews.com search and rescue crews will scour the Timber Creek Campground and search for any clues involving the missing toddler.
“We have experienced professionals who will spend a lot of time in the area,” Penner said Monday.
The campground, located in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, was closed to the public in mid-April by the sheriff’s office and U.S. Forest Service to restrict activity in the area.
The campground will remain closed until authorities complete their search, Penner said.
“We hope to have Timber Creek reopened by Memorial Day – maybe sooner,” he said.
Officials aren’t announcing the dates of the search and stress that only trained professionals will be participating. They encourage people to stay away during the closure.
DeOrr disappeared July 10 while on a camping trip in Leadore with his parents, great-grandfather, and a family friend. There has been no sign of the now 3-year-old since he disappeared and local investigators believe the child was either accidentally or intentionally killed.
Nobody has been charged in the case, but investigators say the boy’s parents, Vernal DeOrr Kunz and Jessica Mitchell, are considered suspects.
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