Benewah sheriff reopens missing person case

A 57-year-old St. Maries man who was reportedly located in December after being considered by police a missing person for almost three weeks, has never been found, the St. Maries Gazette newspaper reports.

Authorities in Benewah County have re-opened a missing persons case for Dewey “Duke” Shawver despite reporting in December that Shawver had been located.

According to the newspaper report, the Benewah County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police have re-opened the search for Shawver who was last seen Nov. 22 in St. Maries. His 2006 maroon Ford F350 pickup truck was last seen a day later, according to the sheriff’s office. The pickup truck’s Idaho license plate number is KV2800.

The original search for the St. Maries man ended Dec. 11 after a friend of Shawver’s reportedly contacted the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office and told deputies Shawver was alive and well and to call off the search. But the call’s legitimacy was never established, prompting authorities this week to re-open the investigation into the 57-year-old’s whereabouts.

When authorities attempted to contact Shawver at the request of a family member, they were unable to identify this caller, according to the newspaper.

Shawver, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 250 pounds, has blue eyes and light brown to gray hair.

Anyone with information of Shawver’s whereabouts should contact the Benewah County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 245-2555.