Search for missing man extends into Palisades Reservoir
JACKSON (WNE) — Search and rescue crews continue to search for the body of a North Carolina man presumed to have drowned in the Snake River east of Alpine over the Fourth of July weekend.
The search has expanded into the Palisades Reservoir.
Star Valley Search and Rescue Commander Matt McMurdo said he’s called Teton County Search and Rescue and the Bonneville County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Search and Rescue to support his 30-member team as they search for Tory J. Raether, 55, of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Using drones, boats and water jets with sonar as well as canines to assist with the search, teams of professional and volunteer search and rescue personnel are searching a 4-mile stretch of the river from Sheep Gulch down to the Palisade Reservoir, McMurdo said.
Rescue personnel were dispatched around 7 p.m. Saturday, July 4 after receiving reports of a swimmer in distress, The Star Valley Independent first reported Sunday. Raether jumped into the Snake River without a life vest on Saturday near the Sheep Gulch Boat Ramp. He was swept downriver and is presumed dead.
Raether was with a group at “Jump Rock,” a popular cliff-jumping spot. McMurdo said he was visiting family in Jackson for the holiday weekend.
Members of Raether’s group attempted to rescue him but were unsuccessful, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Search crews looked for him until about 9:30 p.m. Saturday before suspending operations because darkness made conditions unsafe.
The Sheep Gulch Boat Ramp is the primary takeout for boaters navigating the Snake River’s whitewater stretch through the Snake River Canyon. The day-use site is located off U.S. Highway 89, about 45 minutes south of Jackson and roughly 3 miles east of Alpine.
This story was published on July 8, 2026.
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