Idaho
Body found during search for 5-year-old boy who wandered away from his birthday party: Idaho police
BOISE, Idaho — A 5-year-old boy who went missing after wandering away from his own birthday party is believed to have been found dead, Idaho police said Tuesday.
Matthew Glynn was last seen at home late Monday afternoon while celebrating his fifth birthday with friends and family, Boise police said.
Following a massive search, search crews found a body in a canal on Tuesday, Boise police said. The Ada County Coroner’s Office will make an official identification, though the victim is believed to be Matthew, police said.
The body was found in a canal about a half-mile north of where the boy went missing, police said. There appears to be no signs of foul play, police said.
“We are heartbroken over this development today,” Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a statement. “We want to thank our many partners for their response as well as the public for their willingness to help another member of our community in a time of need.”
Officers had responded to a report of the missing child shortly before 6 p.m. local time, Winegar said. Matthew, who was nonverbal and had autism, was wearing Batman pajamas when he went missing, Winegar said.
Authorities immediately launched a large-scale search involving drones, ATVs, UTVs and tracking dogs that primarily focused on waterways in the area, as Matthew was drawn to water, the police chief said.
Police also conducted door-to-door searches to check people’s backyards, Winegar said.
Ron Christensen with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue said 30 personnel were also involved in the search Monday night, including mountain bike teams that covered parts of a local greenbelt.
The group deployed UTVs with flashing lights and played the song “Wheels on the Bus” through speakers to try to attract Matthew, Christensen said.
The Boise Fire Department was also involved in the search.
“Sadly, this is not the outcome we were all hoping for. Our hearts go out to Matthew’s family, and we extend our deepest condolences during this incredibly difficult time,” Boise Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said in a statement.
Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.
With Idaho’s primary election coming up, which ballots are Idaho voters eligible to cast? Well, it depends.
The state leaves it up to political parties to decide whether their primary is open or closed.
WATCH: Open or closed? More on Idaho primary elections
Voting in Idaho: What are closed primaries?
The Republican Party has a closed primary, meaning only registered Republican voters can participate. Meanwhile, the Democratic primary is open to all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation.
RELATED | How to register to vote in Idaho
Voters can change affiliation to take part in a different party’s primary, but state law requires voters to switch their affiliation no later than the 12th Friday before the primary, which in the May 2026 election has already passed.
A previously unaffiliated voter can affiliate with a party of their choice on the day of the primary and participate in its primary.
Each voter is only allowed to cast one ballot.
IDAHO FALLS — As a waterfall quietly trickled nearby, the Rotary Club of Idaho Falls and Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation celebrated two new shelters at Heritage Park on Wednesday.
Before a ribbon-cutting ceremony, city leaders and Rotary Club members said the shelters wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for the club’s annual duck race held along the Snake River.
“As you look around at this park and look at the greenbelt, it is a great success for which Rotary has been one of the main drivers,” said Stephen Boorman, president of the Rotary Club. “As we look at these shelters that are here today, they are a success funded by last year’s duck race.”
Wednesday’s event was also the kick-off for the 35th annual duck race in Idaho Falls. A small parade featuring some of this year’s prizes, including a sedan donated by Stone’s KIA and an ATV donated by Idaho Central Credit Union. Ducks will soon be available for sale online or at sales booths around the community this summer, according to a news release.
This year’s race festivities will run from Friday, Aug. 7, to Saturday, Aug. 8. More information can be found on the duck race’s website.
PJ Holm, Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation director, said the two new shelters are part of more than $1 million that the club has donated to the city since 2019 for the purpose of building Heritage Park.
“These shelters aren’t just wooden structures, they’re gathering places where families will celebrate birthdays, or friends will reconnect with each other, where community events will happen and memories will be made,” Holm said.
City leaders also announced that a lodgepole pine has been planted in Heritage Park in recognition of Kevin Call, owner of Farr’s Candy Company and a member of the Rotary Club that helps put on the duck race. Holm said the city will be doing fundraising to place a plaque beside the tree.
“We’re going to dedicate this lodgepole pine to Kevin Call for all of his dedication, all his work, all his commitment to our community,” Holm said.
=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>
Researchers hope the project will provide a case study demonstrating that much of the permanent interior fencing could be removed from federal grazing allotments and be effectively replaced with virtual fencing.
The first season of the planned two-year study started in mid-April and will conclude in October. The Foundation for America’s Public Lands funded the project with a $235,000 grant.
Furthermore, the ability to track livestock movements via the collars will provide the team with insights into other research questions. The researchers want to use data from their collared cattle to better understand important animal traits and to assess different management approaches.
“We’ve seen that where cattle spend the most time is not where they’re doing most of their grazing,” Ellison said. “We’re starting to learn little things like that by evaluating the data we’ve collected so far.”
The research team also includes K. Scott Jensen, an area Extension educator specializing in rangeland management and livestock grazing; Hadley Dotts, a research associate; and three graduate students — Henning Krúger and Maxine Walas, master’s students in animal science, and Abigail McClaflin, who is pursuing a master’s in water resources.
Ellison began research using virtual fencing in 2023, when she started a project on federal grazing allotments through which a wildfire had burned the previous grazing season, and in subsequent years, combined targeted grazing with collared cattle and aerial herbicide spraying to control cheatgrass. The team also used the collars to keep cattle away from critical fish habitat during the spawning season.
Ellison is also the lead on a separate, $181,000 grant from the Foundation for America’s Public Lands also involving virtual fencing. The project, scheduled to begin in March 2027, will entail grazing collared cattle in strips along roadways to establish wildfire fuel breaks.
-
Politics5 minutes agoJustice Department zeroes in on UCLA for alleged illegal DEI admissions as elite school crackdown expands
-
Health11 minutes agoWhere are they now? Officials race to find 40 passengers who disembarked cruise ship stricken with hantavirus
-
Sports17 minutes agoEli Manning hilariously shuts down comeback talk as Giants explore Odell Beckham Jr reunion possibility
-
Technology23 minutes agoWorld Password Day: Check if your passwords are safe
-
Business29 minutes agoCommentary: Blame gas stations — and yourself — for the rise and fall of gas prices
-
Entertainment35 minutes ago‘Real Women Have Curves’ makes post-Broadway debut as part of Pasadena Playhouse’s 2026-27 season
-
Lifestyle41 minutes ago‘It still stings’: 18 people reveal how much they paid for LA28 Olympics tickets
-
Politics47 minutes agoGovernor’s debate spawns another raucous clash: 5 explosive moments