Skeletal Remains in Idaho River Belong to Missing 24-Year-Old Mom

The human remains discovered on July 5th in the Saint Joe River have been identified as Chantel Williams, a Deer Park, Washington resident who disappeared in December, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The human remains were initially thought to be those of an animal by a kayaker. However, the remains were recovered by deputies from the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office after the call.

The Shoshone County Coroner’s Office assisted the recovery process and helped transfer the human remains to Spokane County. Then, the remains were confirmed to belong to Chantel Williams using her dental records.

Chantel Williams was reported missing on December 13, 2025. She was sought by the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 14. Members of the public were requested to assist in the search.

According to reports of December 14th, the woman may have experienced a psychological crisis when she was reported missing. It is worth mentioning that the woman was last seen wearing a blanket and walking down St. Joe River Road.

The search continued from December 14th until December 18th and included dive teams, foot patrols, drones, and dogs. Some of Williams’ personal items were found during a foot patrol on December 15th; however, in the following three days, nothing else was found.

Thus, the search was completed on December 18th.

“Unfortunately, at this time the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office has exhausted all of their resources and the search has been called off,” sheriff’s office officials said. “The Williams family has been notified, and they took the time to express their gratitude and appreciation for all the help they received from so many agencies.”