Victims in submerged car are identified
COEUR d’ALENE — A Coeur d'Alene Press employee and her two young boys were identified Friday by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office as the people who were found dead in a submerged car at the Fernan Lake boat launch on Thursday.
Misty Phelps, 25, Coeur d'Alene, and her children, Tristan Phelps, 1, and Riley Phelps, 2, were recovered by a sheriff's office dive team from the lake after a fisherman spotted the car in the water.
Phelps had worked in the print facility of The Press since August 2013.
"As (Thursday's) events began to unfold, our newsroom approached this story with professionalism and thoughtful introspection," said Press Publisher Lawrence M. Riley in a statement issued after the KCSO released the names of the deceased.
"A story like this is always difficult to cover, especially when children are involved. What brings it even closer to home is the fact that it involved one of our employees. At this point, there’s not much we can do but support each other and keep Misty and her children in our hearts, thoughts and prayers."
According to Phelps' Facebook page, she attended Priest River Lamanna High School and formerly worked at a Payless ShoeSource store. She also formerly lived in Anchorage, Alaska.
Aside from the names of the people who were inside the car, the KCSO released limited further details on Friday due to the ongoing investigation.
"The vehicle appeared to have been in the water for several hours," Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said, adding that where the occupants were seated in the car won't be released until the investigation is complete.
"We don't believe anybody out there is at risk," Wolfinger said. "We believe that all three drowned. The investigation will determine if it was accidental or not."
Wolfinger declined to say if there was any evidence found inside the car.
"It's still too premature to say exactly what happened," Wolfinger said. "We want to let the investigators do their work. It was just a terrible tragedy."
Autopsies were conducted on the three people Friday.
"Full results of the autopsies will not be available for several weeks," a KCSO press release states. "The investigation is ongoing and more information will be released as it becomes available."
Records indicate Phelps was in a strained marriage.
According to Idaho State Judiciary's online data repository, Misty filed for divorce from Tyler Phelps in February.
The matter couldn't be resolved by mediation on Oct. 6, the records say. Notice of a court hearing for Dec. 15 was sent out on Tuesday.
Attempts to reach Tyler Phelps on Friday were unsuccessful.
Emergency crews responded to the Fernan boat launch on the west end of the lake around 10:45 a.m. Thursday and confirmed a report that a Ford car was fully submerged.
The car was pulled from the lake with its front end facing the boat launch as if it had entered the lake in reverse. It was pulled from the water between the two docks at the site.
Wolfinger said the position of the vehicle in the water was not unusual.
"Because of the angle of the ramp, the vehicle can hydroplane after it enters the water and easily spin around," he said.
Wolfinger said recovering the bodies was traumatic for some of the responders.
"The vast majority of the deputies and divers have children, so it hits close to home," he said. "Nobody likes innocent victims and it doesn't get much more innocent than 1- and 2-year-olds."
Wolfinger said some of the responders are temporarily taking time off while others preferred to go back to work immediately to focus on something else. The KCSO held debriefings after the recoveries to assist responders, and its critical incident stress management team is available for counseling.
"This is part of our jobs, but it can still take a toll," Wolfinger said. "We want our people healthy, not just physically but emotionally, so it's something that we keep a close eye on."
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Staff Writer Maureen Dolan contributed to this report.