Man appears to have landed his jump

TWIN FALLS -- A grim discovery Friday afternoon for search and rescue crews looking for a missing BASE jumper in the Snake River Canyon.

Twin Falls County Search and Rescue found a man's body in the canyon below the Perrine Bridge.

Richard L. Heaton III, of Macon, Ga., was reported missing by his girlfriend Friday morning.

According to the sheriff's office, Heaton flew from Georgia to Idaho earlier this week and came to Twin Falls for seven days of BASE jumping. 

After checking into a local motel, he contacted his girlfriend at 11:17 p.m. Wednesday, and said he was going to the Perrine Bridge for a night jump, and conditions were good.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Lori Nebeker says it appears Heaton survived the jump, but succumbed to the elements in the canyon.

Deputies checked the man's motel room and found his luggage and personal items.  No parachute or gear was located in the room.

The Perrrine Bridge, one mile north of Twin Falls, is the only man-made structure in the United States where BASE jumping is legal 365 days a year. The bridge stands 486 feet above the Snake River.