After an arduous five-day search, a missing Montana motorcyclist was finally located on Friday in close proximity to the area where he had disappeared.
According to a statement by the sheriff’s office, the Idaho County Sheriff’s dispatch received a call at 1:42 Friday afternoon from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center regarding an SOS call from a Garmin inReach device.
According to a second message from Garmin, they have located Zachary DeMoss, 24, but unfortunately, his condition is not good. When he was found by emergency responders, it was discovered that DeMoss had been relying on creek water for survival.
DeMoss disappeared on Sunday after instructing his friends, Devlin Zarn and Aly Phan, to leave ahead of him. The three of them were on a bike trip across multiple states in the Western region and had recently departed from Kooskia, Idaho.
According to Cowboy State Daily, Phan described DeMoss as the most experienced rider in the group, who rides swiftly and fearlessly.
According to the sheriff’s statement, the SOS message sent on Friday provided coordinates for the Lost Creek Campground located near milepost 136 on Idaho’s Highway 12. This mile marker is in close proximity to where DeMoss’s bike was last seen parked, but without him.
Ambulances, Life Flight, a deputy, and state police were dispatched to the scene by the dispatch.
DeMoss was discovered by responders in an alert and conscious state, thanks to the water he had been able to access from a nearby creek. He was then swiftly transported by Life Flight to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula, as stated in the official statement.
In a statement, the sheriff, Doug Ulmer, expresses his gratitude to everyone who assisted in the search for Zachary. He also extends well wishes for Zachary’s recovery.
Just hours after authorities announced they would be scaling back the search for him, the news of DeMoss being found emerged.
‘Really … Good’
Zarn and Phan couldn’t contain their excitement when they heard the news.
Phan laughed tearfully on Friday, expressing, “We’re doing incredibly well.”
As she prepared to head to the hospital in Missoula, Montana, the woman recounted the moment she was getting into her truck in Kalispell. She swiftly grabbed the dog she shares with Zarn and made her way towards her vehicle.
Phan had limited information, but he heard that DeMoss was discovered sitting by the river, looking a bit battered.
“I can’t help but cry,” Zarn exclaimed, a laugh mixed with tears.
At This Saloon
Phan, Zarn, and DeMoss made a pit stop at Doreen’s Southfork Saloon in Kooskia, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon to take a break from their journey back to Montana from Oregon, according to Phan. They had a couple of beers and enjoyed the company of the locals.
DeMoss decided to spend some extra time at the saloon, urging his friends to go ahead and start riding on Idaho’s Highway 12 as he considered himself a more experienced rider.
According to Phan, the bar owner has informed her that DeMoss didn’t stay for long after his friends departed.
Phan remarked that as they were driving on the highway, a person passed them at a considerable speed. According to Phan, this individual rides extremely fast and can be likened to a bat quickly escaping from hell.
Phan and Zarn noticed that DeMoss’ Vulcan was parked on the side of Eagle Mountain Trailhead around 4:30 that afternoon. They decided to stop at the next pullout and wait for him. However, after waiting for five minutes and assuming that DeMoss hadn’t seen them, they turned back to the trailhead, as mentioned in Phan’s post.
Upon arrival, DeMoss discovered that his bike had vanished and he was nowhere to be found.
According to Phan’s account, it was assumed that he had returned to search for them. However, they were running low on gas and their back tire was starting to show threads. They decided to wait at Eagle Mountain Trailhead for two hours and left a conspicuous note in the gravel of the pullout. Afterward, they proceeded to Lolo, Montana, as originally planned by the three of them.
They patiently waited at the Cenex gas station in Lolo for over an hour, stopping cars and bikers to ask if they had any information about DeMoss.
A friend joined the pair and drove them in his car to continue their search. According to Phan’s post, there was no sign of DeMoss or a bike accident.
Throughout the week, they searched for him in Victor, Montana, checking his home, trying his phone, and leaving no stone unturned.
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