Officials say that a man from Louisiana, aged 21, was swept into the Idaho River while tubing on Saturday.
According to the Gem County Sheriff’s Office, Everett Jackson was swept from a raft into Payette River at 8 p.m. and then disappeared into the water.
Jackson was a freshman on the 2020-21 Louisiana State University Eunice basketball team. An NBC News request for comment was not immediately answered by the school or its athletics department.
Gem County is about 40 miles north of Boise Idaho.
Jackson’s girlfriend said to NBC affiliate WDSU New Orleans that she was tubing with Jackson when he lost control of the boat and was swept downstream by the river.
Donnie Wunder, Gem County Sheriff, told NBC News that Jackson was with a group of five friends when the incident occurred.
He claimed that the group was not from the area and didn’t know the dangers of the water. He is now warning the public about water activities in the high water.
“The Payette River flows at a rate that poses a danger for anyone who is not using a motorized boat,” the sheriff’s department stated in a release.
Wunder stated Tuesday that the search included a few riverboats and a helicopter but that so far, “we haven’t seen anything.”
He said, “The water’s extremely difficult right now.” “I have communicated with my family and all that the water is murky and you can’t see any of it, and it’s flowing so strongly. We won’t be able to find him until the water level drops significantly.
According to the sheriff’s office, Monday’s search included boats and jet skis in the river downstream from Letha and west of Emmett’s Washington Bridge.
Jackson’s family is originally from Louisiana and has flown to Idaho in hopes that Jackson will be found soon.
Megan Jackson, his sister, described him as “fun and adventurous”, he loved to play basketball, and was a great player.
He loved his family. He was very family-oriented. She said that he is very friendly with everyone.
Nikki Lyons, another sister, said to the station that it is not easy to find him.
