3 days ago
Skull found in 2022 in southeast Idaho identified as missing Spokane woman
Jul. 9—A skull found nearly three years ago in southeastern Idaho has been identified as a missing woman from Spokane, Idaho State Police announced Wednesday.
The Power County Sheriff's Office, ISP and other local, state and federal agencies confirmed the human remains discovered in the Fort Hall River bottoms as those of Lesiah Olivia Pickett, according to an ISP news release.
On July 30, 2022, a fisherman located a skull along the Fort Hall River in Power County, ISP said. Investigators from the Fort Hall Police Department, the FBI's Pocatello office and the Power County Coroner's Office responded . A search of the area yielded no additional skeletal remains and no signs of trauma.
The remains were turned over to the Ada County Coroner's Office and later submitted to the FBI laboratory for DNA and anthropological analysis. The FBI produced three-dimensional facial approximation images of the skull, according to the release.
In May, the skull was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and a bulletin was distributed to law enforcement agencies in surrounding states. Through coordination between ISP Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Team, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and forensic odontologists, two possible matches were identified.
"Through the Idaho SAKI program, we were able to offer both forensic and investigative support that ultimately helped give a name back to Ms. Pickett and provided her family with some long-awaited answers," Daren Boyd, ISP SAKI site coordinator, said in the release.
One match was ruled out by DNA comparison, and the second potential match was confirmed through a comparison of dental records in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database.
That system confirmed on June 26 the remains belonged to Pickett, who had been missing since late 2019, ISP said.
Records indicate Pickett was seen Oct. 4, 2019, in American Falls, Idaho, and Oct. 20, 2019, in the Pocatello area. She was a transient who was in Ogden, Utah, in September 2019.
"This identification reflects the power of teamwork, science, and tenacity," Power County Sheriff Joshua Campbell said in the release. "We are grateful to have worked alongside our local and federal partners to bring some measure of peace to Ms. Pickett's family. Cold cases take time, trust and collaboration, which are all in this case."
Anyone who saw Pickett after October 20, 2019, or has any information about places she may have stayed, especially in southeast Idaho or the surrounding areas, is asked to contact the Power County Sheriff's Office at (208) 226-2311.
"Behind every unidentified person is a family searching for answers, and behind every investigation like this is a team who refuses to give up," Col. Bill Gardiner, ISP director, said in the release. "This case is a testament to what dedicated investigators and forensic professionals can accomplish when they work together across agencies and jurisdictions. We're grateful to have played a part in giving Ms. Pickett her name back and bringing her family the answers they've long deserved."
