On May 21, 2018, 21-year-old Jesse A. Ferrieri was on a hunting trip in Idaho County, Idaho, with his brother, Raymond, and four other men. The group was staying at the Paradise Campground in the Bitterroot National Forest, near the Idaho-Montana border. In the early morning hours, the six men were in a Chevrolet Suburban when the vehicle rolled into the Selway River. Two of the men, Jesse Gunin and Jason Lewis from Georgia, were able to escape the submerged vehicle and make it to shore. However, Jesse Ferrieri, his 24-year-old brother Raymond, 21-year-old Koby J. Clark, and 22-year-old Reece L. Rollins were lost in the accident.
Immediate search and rescue operations were launched, involving the Idaho County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team, the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Forest Service, and numerous volunteers. The efforts included personnel on foot, on horseback, in boats, and with dogs, covering land, water, and air. On May 23, 2018, the Chevrolet Suburban was pulled from the Selway River, but none of the missing men were found inside. The official search for the four missing hunters was eventually called off after more than a week of intensive searching yielded no further results, though family members continued their own efforts.
In the weeks that followed the tragic accident, the bodies of Reece Rollins and Koby Clark were recovered from the Selway River in mid-June 2018. Jesse and Raymond Ferrieri, however, remained missing and were presumed deceased. This tragically changed in August 2020, when a section of a skull and three teeth were discovered near the Shearer Airstrip along the Selway River. A month later, another skull fragment was found downriver by caretakers at the Selway Lodge. These remains were sent to the Idaho State Police Laboratory for DNA analysis and were confirmed to belong to Jesse Ferrieri. Jesse's brother, Raymond Ferrieri, remains missing. Authorities have asked that anyone recreating on or along the Selway River remain vigilant for any signs of human remains.
Last Seen: May 21, 2018
