Missing Naples man dies from hypothermia

BONNERS FERRY — A number of volunteers gathered Saturday, Jan. 4 at the Naples General Store to continue the search for 20-year-old James Sanborn, of Bonners Ferry, who went missing Jan. 1 after walking away from a friend’s house on Sandy Ridge Road near Naples.

The search ended at 1 p.m. with the discovery of his body near Deep Creek, well away from the area he was assumed to have gone.

The discovery was made by Sanborn’s father, John Sanborn, and his sons after they remembered a Deep Creek swimming spot he used to favor.

It appears Sanborn crossed the creek in the early morning hours of News Year’s Day and succumbed to hypothermia. Foul play is not suspected.

The initial search on Jan. 2, when Sanborn was reported missing, was conducted by members of the Boundary Search and Dive Rescue, Boundary County Sheriff’s Posse, which included Posse light aircraft, United States Border Patrol K-9 units and full-time Sheriff’s deputies.