BOISE — UPDATE: The Ada County coroner has ruled the death of Christian Dale an accident.
The body of the 21-year-old Boise man who fell off a moving boat late last month at Lucky Peak Reservoir has been recovered, according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
Kuna resident Gene Ralston, who specializes in underwater sonar searches was able to locate the body of Christian “Buddy” Dale Friday morning. It was almost 200 feet down by the bottom of the reservoir. Ralston then used a remote-controlled unmanned underwater vehicle to remove the body from the water.
Marine patrol deputies have been searching for Dale since just after 9 p.m. on July 29, when he fell off the back of a boat near Gooseneck Bay and did not come back up.
Dale was a member of the Boise State Men’s Hockey Team.
There were nine other people on the boat at the time of the accident. They told deputies they were on their way to the boat ramp at Barclay Bay when a hat flew out of the boat and the driver turned around to retrieve the hat. Dale fell off the bow where he had been sitting. He was not wearing a life jacket.
Deputies searched for days using sonar in the water and a drone from above but were unable to locate Dale. The search was suspended until Friday when Ralston was available to help. It took him about two hours to find and recover the body.
The Ada County Coroner's Office will determine the cause. Toxicology results could take several weeks.
This case remains under investigation. No charges or citations have been issued. The others have been cooperative with investigators and assisted in the search.
