Hundreds gather at Olympia High to support family of missing man

The 50-yard line was quiet Wednesday night at Olympia High School’s Ingersoll Stadium, except for the occasional sound of someone crying or the slap of a back as people embraced.

Several hundred people gathered there to show their support for Austin Kelley, 26, the Olympia man who went missing Sunday in the Salmon River, not far from the town of Riggins, Idaho, north of Boise.

Kelley had traveled there with some friends for a guys getaway weekend.

Mostly family members spoke during the “Bring Austin Home” vigil. Alongside them was a display of photos of Kelley with his wife, Morgan, and baby, Riann, as well as with other family members. Two soccer jerseys and balls represented Kelley’s love for the game. Kelley played soccer at Olympia High School and Saint Martin’s University, and is an assistant coach to the boy’s team at Olympia High.

One man approached the display with a soccer ball, kissed it, then set it on the field under the photos.

“We just really need for him to be home,” said Kelley’s mother, Cortney. “And I just hope you hold him in your hearts that he is somewhere waiting for us. He knows we are looking for him. We want nothing more than for a beautiful man to continue his story with his family.”

Cortney was joined by her husband, Philip, and youngest son, Emmett.

“We definitely feel the love and support from all of you,” Philip said. “It’s a hurricane of emotions because we are feeling deep sadness and the love and support from all of you. We keep praying that we can bring him home. He loves all of you and we love all of you.”

Perhaps the most moving part of the vigil was captured with a song and single drum a Nisqually tribal member performed for Kelley. Afterward, Kelley’s father and the man embraced.

Family members told the crowd that friends and family continue to search for Kelley in Idaho.

The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office’s search and rescue efforts took place on Sunday and Monday, using divers and jet skis. A posse group, which works under the authority of the sheriff’s office, took up the search Tuesday.

Given the terrain in the area, Sheriff Doug Giddings acknowledged Wednesday afternoon that there’s only so much his office can do.

The Salmon River runs through deep canyons that make it hard to access from the shore, he said. It’s also a long river that’s a mix of fast and slow-moving water, with deep pits — as deep as 70 feet in places — along with shallower areas and river eddies.

“It’s a tough place,” he said. “The river pulls you under in a lot of places.”

On Sunday, Kelley and his friends entered the river to go swimming about 18 miles from the town of Riggins, Giddings said. Three of them made it across, but Kelley did not. There’s no cellphone service in the area, so the friends had to find an area resident with a land line phone to report the emergency. There are a few cabins in the area, he said.

A fundraising effort through the website Give Forward is also under way to raise money for the search and for Kelley’s wife and daughter. The site can be found here.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Hundreds gather at Olympia High to support family of missing man."