A man was found deceased near Silvis Lake Monday morning after reportedly getting lost near the Deer Mountain trail. He is believed to be 49-year-old Heath Didier from Portland, Oregon.
Alaska State Troopers received a notification at around 9:30 Sunday night that Didier was lost near the Deer Mountain Trail and was cold and wet without water, food or proper clothing. Troopers lost contact with Didier at around 10:30 and the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad started searching from the Silvis Lake Trail. They were unable to locate him on foot.
This morning at daylight, volunteer rescuers began a helicopter search. At around 9:40, they found a man believed to be Didier dead and partially submerged in water at the bottom of a cliff.
Jerry Kiffer with the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad said Didier did a lot of things right, like carry a locator beacon. He urges people to be cautious about going off trails and to be prepared to be outside overnight. If crews are searching for you, he recommends staying put.
“The trip took longer than he anticipated,” Kiffer said. “He got off of the trail, and it got dark, and at that point, activate your beacon, and don’t go anywhere, just sit down and wait. We’ll come, we’ll send a team up to help you out, but walking around in that country at night is not a good idea.”
Didier reportedly told Troopers he had intended to hike to Blue Lake and return. He had picked up the locator beacon from the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, which helped them pinpoint his coordinates. Using that and a compass on his phone, Troopers tried to get him back on the trail before losing contact. They believe his phone died.
Trooper Spokesperson Austin McDaniel said the body matches a physical description of Didier and is near his last known location. Crews have not yet been able to recover the body but plan to return and try again tomorrow. Next of kin have been notified. It is not clear whether Didier was visiting Ketchikan or in town for longer-term.
Update: On June 16, Didier’s body was recovered and transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, according to State Troopers. He is believed to have fallen off the cliff.
