Two missing women traveling from Oregon to Utah found, one dead

KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Two women reported missing from Oregon were found in an Idaho national forest Friday, according to authorities, but one of them was dead.

Officials with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said a hunter called 9-1-1 around 11:45 a.m., saying he had found a woman dead in the area of Solitaire Saddle of the Panhandle National Forest.

Following a search of the area, deputies found another woman inside a broken down vehicle.

She was alive, according to a Facebook post from the KCSO.

“It appears the two females got lost and ended up in the National Forest where their vehicle broke down,” read the post.

Kootenai County deputies said 84-year-old Dorothy “Kae” Turner went out in search for help, but died “as a result of exposure to the elements.”

Turner’s daughter, 58-year-old Heidi Turner, who is mentally disabled, remained in the car and survived.

“Initial beliefs are the two females got confused while following a GPS unit and ended up in the national forest,” concluded the social media post.

The incident remains under investigation, but authorities said “it does not appear to be suspicious in nature.”

The women were reported missing after they left Pendleton, Oregon for Utah on Wednesday.