Accident Database

3 drown in boating accident in Henrys Fork

July 2, 2023       

Mary Boyle, EastIdahoNews.com

Peggy Jeppesen, EastIdahoNews.com

UPDATE:

Three people drowned in the Henrys Fork, north of St. Anthony Sunday afternoon. Three of their companions are safe. Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries told EastIdahoNews.com the group of six adults were floating the river in a raft. The trouble came when the raft went over a diversion dam.

Diversion dams have turbulence under them that act as a “sideways whirlpool,” said Humphries. People get caught in the current and go around and around. It is very difficult to get out.  Three of the six managed get to safety. One of them, a male, called for help from the river bank.

His call came into dispatch at about 2 p.m. Fremont County deputies, St. Anthony Police Department, EMS and Fremont County Search and Rescue all responded. Even reserve officers who weren’t on shift came to help, Humphries said. “We always hope to rescue people,” he said, “not recover them.” The names and ages of the deceased are not being released at this time pending notification of families. Humphries confirmed that all the boaters were from eastern Idaho.

ST. ANTHONY — Two people drowned and a third person is missing in the Henry’s Fork north of St. Anthony. Emergency crews rushed to the Fun Farm Bridge between St. Anthony and Ashton Sunday afternoon. Fremont County Sheriff deputies closed 2650 East to all traffic as Fremont County Search and Rescue teams scoured the river for any sign of the missing person.

Sheriff Len Humphries tells EastIdahoNews.com two people drowned in the water. Their names have not been released and details surrounding the incident are under investigation. A helicopter landed in the area and was observed circling in the air for much of the afternoon. Watch video of it leaving the scene in the player above.

This is a developing story. We will update this story with more information as we receive it.

East Idaho News.com

By Mary Boyle

July 7

ST. ANTHONY — A fundraiser for two drowning victims speaks to the couple’s impact in the community. Jasmin Flores and Lyle Faulkner, both 28, of Blackfoot were married. Both were victims of last weekend’s tragic floating accident near Fun Farm Bridge.

Described as “vibrant and loving individuals,” Jasmine Flores and Lyle Faulkner drowned in an accident while floating the river with four other people. Flores and Falkner had been married for almost six years and were “deeply in love,” according to Falker’s obituary. “They built a life together full of making friends, playing games, exploring the outdoors, creating an amazing garden and fixing their house up into a home.”

Kaede Butikofer, 23, drowned in the same accident. His obituary can be found here; this is all the information available about him at this time.