CANYON COUNTY -- The body of a Boise man who was swept away by the Snake River last month has been recovered.
A passerby called 911 at about 9 a.m. Monday after spotting the remains floating in the river just past Celebration Park. Owyhee County Sheriff’s deputies were able to recover the body a short time later near the Walters Ferry Bridge.
The dead man has been identified as 31-year-old Douglas Wick, a veterinarian at Intermountain Pet Hospital in Meridian.
According to the Ada County Sheriff's Office, Wick and a 31-year-old woman were canoeing about a mile and a half from Celebration Park April 21 when their canoe capsized in the 53-degree water. The woman was able to swim to shore, holding onto a life vest that had been inside the boat.
Witnesses say Wick held onto the canoe for some time before letting go and attempting to swim to shore. He never made it to the river's edge.
Deputies with the Ada, Canyon and Owyhee sheriff's offices searched the area by boat, using sonar equipment to look beneath the water. An air ambulance pilot helped look from above.
The search was called off several days later after officials found no sign of Wick.
According to Ada County, the area where his body was found Monday is about 8.5 miles from the spot where the canoe tipped.