The two men that were reported missing on April 23, 2018, have been located and are safe. Wade Osterhout, 32-years-old and Larry L. Brewer, 48-years-old, were located along the Snake River in the area of the Guffey Bridge at Celebration Park in Canyon County.
It is reported that one of the watercraft’s motors quit working and that they were stuck in an area with no cell phone service and one phone had fallen into the water. They were not able to contact family to let them know the situation that they were in. Last evening, the Civil Air Patrol located the fishermen’s vehicle in the Swan Falls area of the Snake River and it was abandoned. The Civil Air Patrol continued to monitor the phones for activity and early this morning one of the phones became active. Using the location information from the phone becoming active, family members went to that area and were able to make contact with Osterhout and Brewer near the bridge. The two fishermen are safe and are now back home after collecting their vehicle and watercraft.
The Nampa Police Department would like to thank all of the other agencies and persons that assisted with the search efforts for the two fishermen. We would also like to remind the public of some safety tips when planning adventures in the outdoors. Please make sure that family members know where you are going and when you’ll be back. Make sure you have sufficient food and water with you in case you get stuck or stranded. If you’re going to be on the waterways, have all the required safety gear with you, such as a personal flotation device and whistle.