IDAHO COUNTY, Idaho — A Montana biker who went missing Sunday while traveling on Highway 12 in north Idaho was found alive.
24-year-old Zachary Demoss from Missoula was found alive, but "in bad shape," four days after he was reported missing, according to the Idaho County Sheriff's Office.
He was taken by Life Flight to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, and the rescue was made possible after the rescuers received an SOS message from a Garmin inReach.
The sheriff's office said its dispatch received a call at 1:42 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center, which received the SOS message.
"The first message didn’t state if there was an emergency, and the second advised the missing biker had been found alive but was in bad shape. A later message from Garmin confirmed it was missing person Zachary Demoss," Friday's news release said.
Rescue crews went to the coordinates at the Lost Creek Campground near milepost 136 on Highway 12 and found Demoss conscious. The sheriff's office said he had been drinking water from the creek.
On Sunday, Aug. 11, Demoss was riding his 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle on Highway 12 in north Idaho with two other people. The sheriff's office said the other two saw Domoss' motorcycle parked near milepost 135 and rode past it. They waited and after he didn't show up, they searched for him and didn't find him.
Demoss was reported missing on Aug. 12. The Idaho County Sheriff's Office said days after, search crews used drones to look for him while search parties comprised of his family and friends looked for him on foot.
For Friday's rescue, the Kooskia Ambulance, Lowell QRU, Life Flight, an Idaho County deputy and Idaho State Police were on the scene.
"Sheriff Ulmer wants to thank everyone who helped in the search for Zachary, and we wish him the best on his recovery," the sheriff's office stated.