BOISE, Idaho — More than 20 years ago, Gene and Sandy Ralston started helping dive recovery teams find the bodies of people who drowned.
Currently, they are assisting the Ada County Sherriff’s Office find a 16-year-old who fell off at jet ski at Lucky Peak on Monday.
The Ralston’s use something called side-scan sonar. Unlike some others, their sonar is towable, which means they can search waters as deep as 850 feet, Gene said.
This is the Kuna couple’s second time helping the Ada County Sheriff's Office in the last 12 years. Detective Hyrum Jones said the Ralston’s are an invaluable resource, especially considering the sheriff’s office does not own a towable sonar.
Ada County’s sonar is mounted to their boat and cannot see as far, he said.
“They're a great tool to have,” Jones said. “We're just blessed to have them living in our county.”
The Ralston’s boat, while now outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, was originally bought for sentiment samplings along the Lower Snake and Columbia rivers, Gene said. The couple are retired scientists – with degrees in biology, zoology and biochemistry.
The couple soon changed course after helping with a recovery search in Oregon. After convincing Sandy to purchase a sonar of their own, Gene said they never looked back.
"It helps to even the odds,” Gene said. “It allows you to search water deeper than divers can dive. It creates images of obstructions on the bottom as well, and that helps keep divers safe."
The Ralston’s now assist dive recovery teams all across the country. Jones said it is not something to take advantage of. After the couple begins their second retirement, the sheriff’s office wants to be prepared.
"We know Gene is a great resource, but we also know that Gene is not going to be in the business forever,” Jones said. “As a sheriff's office, we are looking and starting to do our research about buying equipment that can help us achieve our mission even be able to do recoveries and searching."
Until the 16-year-old boy at Lucky Peak is found, teams will continue to search. The Sheriff’s Office said the pipeline camp area will be closed as searches are in progress.
As for Gene and Sandy, he said they are heading up Washington state next week in hopes of finding another drowning victim and bringing closure to grieving families.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: