Missing Idaho man found dead in Upper Yaak area identified

The body of a man found dead in the Upper Yaak area Jan. 16, 2017, has been identified as 31-year-old Travis Jay “TJ” Gillette. Gillette was reported missing from his Sandpoint, Idaho, residence earlier that day by his girlfriend. The death is being investigated as suspicious by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

“The sheriff’s office is still looking into this,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe. “We’re working hard to determine the cause of his death and what happened. He died under peculiar circumstances.”

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office dispatch log, Gillette left Sandpoint, Idaho, on Friday, Jan. 13, with a man from Thompson Falls to make a delivery to an unknown address in the Yaak. He was expected to return Saturday, Jan. 14.

Gillette’s body was located approximately 60 feet down a steep embankment, Bowe said. Volunteers from David Thompson Search and Rescue were mobilized to recover the body. An autopsy is being performed as part of the investigation.

The Montanian will update this story as more information becomes available.