Sheriff: 47-Year-Old’s disappearance ruled homicide, suspect in custody
UPDATE:
CUSTER COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The disappearance of 47-year-old Patrick Shelton has officially been deemed a homicide, according to the Custer County Sheriff's Office.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office has taken a suspect into custody. The Investigation is ongoing at this time.
On May 10th at approximately 3 pm, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Patrick Ray Shelton, age 47, of Challis, Idaho, had not returned from a wood gathering trip in the Mountains around Challis, Idaho. He was expected to return on Wednesday, May 8th.
"Phone pings were initiated for phone location history of Patrick’s cell phone," writes the Custer County Sheriff's Office in a press release. "Deputies responded to locations where Patrick was known to search for wood. Deputies from the Custer County Sheriff’s Office located his vehicle and his dog in the Big Hill Area, west of the city of Challis May 10th, approximately 8:30 PM."
Morning of May 11, Challis Search and Rescue teams were active to locate the missing 47-year-old. That evening, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue joined the search as well, using canine teams and thermal imaging drones.
All Search and Rescue Operations have been suspended as of 3:26 PM, May 12, 2025. The Search and Rescue operation has been updated to a Recovery Operation, according to the Custer County Sheriff's Office.
The body of Patrick Shelton has not yet been recovered at this time.
ORIGINAL:
CUSTER COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — Search and Rescue crews in Custer County are looking for a 47-year-old man who has been missing since last Thursday.
According to the Custer County Sheriff's Office, 47-year-old Patrick Shelton was last seen May 8, 2025, in the Challis area heading into the mountains to cut firewood. Two days later, he was reported to be overdue in returning.
The evening of May 10, deputies located his red 2001 Dodge Ram flatbed pickup, but were unable to locate Shelton. The following evening, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue joined the search efforts.
The Sheriff’s office has confirmed that their teams are utilizing thermal imaging drones and canine units in their search efforts. Search and Rescue crews are requesting that the public stay away from the search area to help maintain the integrity of the search patterns.
In a post on the Custer County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, search crews requested anyone with information about Shelton's whereabouts to contact the Sheriff's deputies. For more information, click HERE.
