The dog belonging to a 76-year-old Nezperce woman who was last seen at her hunting camp Oct. 2 reportedly turned up at the Moose Creek Ranger Station late Wednesday.
Connie Johnson
Ace, the border collie who belongs to Connie Johnson, was discovered about 15 miles from the hunting camp where Johnson was last seen in the Fog Mountain area near Big Rock in the Selway River district. Idaho County Sheriff Doug Giddings confirmed early Thursday that Ace showed up at a camp where private searchers who had been hired by the Johnson’s family were located.
Johnson, who was working as a camp cook for Richie Outfitters of Salmon, Idaho, had radio contact Oct. 2 with the hunters who had left the camp a day earlier. However they were unable to understand her message. When the hunters returned Oct. 5 to the camp, which is accessible only by horseback or on foot, Johnson and her dog were not there.
An intense search began involving aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, the Idaho National Guard, the Clearwater County Backcountry Helicopter Rescue team, along with several teams of tracking dogs and searchers on foot. No trace of Johnson or her dog could be found and the search virtually ended Oct. 16.
It is unclear whether the search will resume now that the dog has been found, or if the dog would be part of another search. (Lewiston Tribune)
