BOISE, Idaho — Taylor French still recalls the moment he found out his dad, John Randall "Randy" French, went missing on a fishing trip on the Salmon River near Riggins more than two years ago.
“I was kind of in shock, I felt like I was having a heart attack for like two weeks straight after that,” Taylor French recalled. “It was very stressful, especially because we didn’t know what happened to him, he just vanished into thin air."
Despite the family and investigator's best efforts, Randy was never found. Last month, a woman found remains in the area along the Salmon River. On Thursday, more than two years after his disappearance, the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the remains were Randy's.
“I feel relieved, honestly, that we found him,” French said. “It's been a bit of a crazy nightmare.”
Investigators believed the 54-year-old's pickup truck veered off Highway 95 and crashed into the river.
French believes a medical issue caused the accident and has thought of his dad every day since his disappearance.
“I think about my dad every single day, multiple times a day and until I got that phone call, I still did not know, with his things washing up on shore, we had a good idea but it's not like we had him,” he said.
Now, Randy's family is finally getting closure.
“He was a sweetheart and he was a really, really good dad, and a good family member, a hard worker, he was a good man and he loved to fish, so at least when he passed he did so while doing what he loved,” French said.
As for the truck, Randy was driving, French told KTVB that crews never recovered it because the river is too deep and swift.
Randy's remains will now be sent to a funeral home where his mom and brother are also at rest.
In the meantime, French wants to thank everyone in Riggins who helped with the search for his dad.