POCATELLO — A 27-year-old Pocatello man who disappeared following a suspicious single-vehicle crash near Mink Creek and East Fork early Tuesday has been located alive and taken to Portneuf Medical Center for evaluation, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday.
Kendall Thoren was reported missing around 1:40 a.m. Tuesday after authorities responded to the crash scene. Officials received information that Thoren had left the area on foot before emergency responders arrived — without his phone. He was found Wednesday and is currently being assessed by medical staff at PMC.
Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu said his office will interview Thoren once he is released from the hospital. The sheriff declined to comment further on the circumstances of the disappearance or how Thoren was ultimately located, stating that investigators would not weigh in on any accounts of the incident until formal interviews are conducted with both Thoren and the other person in the vehicle.
Second Victim Hospitalized With Serious Injuries
The other occupant of the vehicle, Aidan Fitch, remains hospitalized at PMC with significant injuries. Aidan’s mother, Star Fitch, described his condition in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, saying her son sustained fractures to both his upper and lower spine, along with a concussion and bruising.
Star Fitch confirmed that Aidan regained consciousness Wednesday but is still heavily sedated, making communication difficult. “Having a full conversation with him is a hard thing to do right now,” she said. Star Fitch also confirmed that Aidan is Thoren’s boyfriend.
Authorities have not released additional details regarding what led to the crash or the specific circumstances that made it suspicious. The sheriff’s office has asked the public to avoid speculating about the case while the investigation is ongoing.
Extensive Search Effort Preceded Discovery
The search for Thoren was wide-ranging and drew on multiple resources over the course of roughly 24 hours. A thermal drone was deployed in the early morning hours Tuesday, and multiple Search and Rescue personnel worked in rotating shifts to cover the terrain around the Mink Creek area. The Bannock County Backcountry Search and Rescue team also participated in the effort.
The remote and rugged terrain near Mink Creek and East Fork in southeast Idaho presented significant challenges to search crews. The deployment of thermal imaging equipment reflects the seriousness with which authorities treated the situation given the overnight temperatures and difficult landscape.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office is expected to release additional information as the investigation progresses and formal interviews are completed. No further details about the crash itself — including what may have caused it or why the vehicle was in the area at that hour — have been made public.
The case follows a period of notable public safety activity in and around Pocatello. Earlier this week, a tense standoff near Pocatello ended peacefully after family members helped authorities talk down an armed woman who had fired a shot. Local emergency resources, including search and rescue personnel, have remained active across a range of incidents in recent weeks.
The county’s emergency response capacity has also seen recent upgrades. Portneuf Air Rescue is set to debut a new helicopter at a public open house, a development that underscores ongoing investment in Bannock County’s emergency services infrastructure.
What Comes Next
Bannock County Sheriff’s Office investigators plan to interview Thoren following his discharge from Portneuf Medical Center. Detectives will also seek to interview Aidan Fitch once his condition allows. Officials have indicated no further details about the crash or the events surrounding Thoren’s disappearance will be released until those interviews are complete. The sheriff’s office has described the crash as suspicious, and the investigation remains active.