Photos on camera help identify skull of hiker missing a decade, Idaho cops say

An Idaho hunter found a human skull, which could have belonged to a hiker who’s been missing since 2010, officials say.

The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office said in a Wednesday news release that a hunter found a human skull, camping equipment, a digital camera and other items above Bernard Creek.

“On Tuesday, eight personnel from the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office were taken by jet boat to the mouth of Bernard Creek by Killgore Adventures,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the news release. “They then hiked approximately one mile in, where they located a portion of a human skull and other skeletal remains.”

The photos on the digital camera’s memory card helped officials determine that the equipment and remains likely belonged to hiker Todd Hofflander, who was reported missing in September 2010, according to the news release.

“In September of 2010, Todd W. Hofflander was reported missing and one of his last known locations was in this area,” officials said in the release. “Officers were able to recover photographs off of an SD card located in the pack, which belonged to Mr. Hofflander. Everything found at the scene indicates these are the remains of Mr. Hofflander, however further testing will be done.”

The bones found will be sent to the Ada County Coroner for evaluation and DNA testing, the Sheriff’s Office said. Hofflander’s family members have been notified of the findings, according to the news release.

This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Photos on camera help identify skull of hiker missing a decade, Idaho cops say."