The Valley County Sheriff’s Office and the Valley County Coroner’s Office have made a positive identification of the two crash victims who were recovered from the North Fork of the Payette River Thursday.
The two victims had been involved in a crash at MP 99 on Highway 55 on June 24th, when their 2017 Jeep Cherokee went off the highway and ended up upside-down in the water.
The Valley County Coroner has identified the occupants as William L. Ziegert, 71, and Julane Ziegert, 72, husband and wife, both of Garden City. They were also known to have a home in McCall.
The Ziegert’s family pet -– a dog -- was recovered from the vehicle as well.
the cause of the crash is still under investigation, officials said.
To reach the vehicle, the river flow was reduced through Cascade Dam to 200 cubic feet per second; that allowed divers from the Gem County Sheriff's Office and the Boise Scuba Center to find the vehicle.
Crews then used cables to pull the SUV to the west bank of the river. The vehicle was inspected and the two bodies were found inside.
