Police identify remains of missing East Idaho teen after four-year search
The remains found inside a vehicle over the weekend in Eastern Idaho were identified as missing teen Matthew Jedediah “Jed” Hall, police said.
In 2018, Hall, then 16, left his parents’ home in a 2009 gray Nissan Versa hatchback and took a 9mm handgun and various camping and survival gear. He left a note saying that he intended to die by suicide, according to a previous news release from the Idaho Falls Police Department.
On Sunday, the Idaho Falls police, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and Adventures with Purpose, a search and recovery dive team and a local towing company, assisted in removing the 2009 Nissan from the Snake River just south of Johns Hole boat ramp in Idaho Falls, police said Sunday. Human remains were found inside the vehicle.
A joint news release from the Idaho Falls Police Department and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday that the remains were Hall’s.
Jessica Clements, a spokesperson with Idaho Falls police, told the Idaho Statesman by phone Hall died by suicide.
“In any missing person case, our sincere hope is to find the person alive and well,” Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said in the news release. “While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we appreciate all those who have assisted in this investigation and the effort to provide answers to Jed’s family and loved ones. Our hearts are with the Hall family and all those who knew and loved Jed (Hall) at this time.”
A memorial service has been tentatively planned for Saturday, May 14, at Nalder Funeral Home in Shelley, Idaho, according to a community Facebook page.
Prior searches within the Snake River
On Jan. 22, 2018 — the day Hall went missing — the Idaho Falls Police Department obtained data from Hall’s cellphone, which showed its last location less than a mile from 1490 Lindsey Boulevard in Idaho Falls, according to Thursday’s news release. That location includes a section of the Snake River.
“IFPD investigators also recognized early on that it was possible that Jed and his vehicle may have entered the Snake River,” according to the news release.
In the last four years, local law enforcement officers have conducted at least three previous searches for Hall with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, police said. During those searches, the team used sonar and underwater search equipment to search the area around the Snake River where the phone last “pinged,” but they did not find any sign of Hall or the vehicle.
Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse in the news release said he “appreciates the excellent work by Adventures with Purpose to bring closure to this case.”
“The sheriff’s office regrets that Jed (Hall) or the vehicle were not located in previous efforts. On behalf of the sheriff’s office, we offer our empathy to the Hall family during this difficult time,” according to the news release.
