40 years later, mystery surrounds drowning of Hayden 2-year-old

HAYDEN — It’s been 40 years since 2-year-old Ryan Hoeffliger’s body was discovered on the western shore of Hayden Lake. Ryan’s uncle, Chuck MacDonald, will never forget the close relationship he shared with his young nephew.

“He had a great personality,” MacDonald recalled. “So smiley and happy, just your typical 2-year-old. He was a lot of fun.” 

MacDonald will also never forget the moment his sister, Gail Brian, was told her toddler had been found dead. 

"All of a sudden you just hear my sister, Gail, scream from upstairs," MacDonald said. "That's always stuck in my head."

Ryan was reported missing from his family home on the morning of Nov. 11, 1984, to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, prompting an extensive search. Ryan’s body was found about a mile and a half away from his home later that day, “launching one of the most intense investigations in the history of the KCSO,” according to a press release from the agency.

Four decades later, what happened to Ryan that day remains as much a mystery as it was when the investigation began.

“The known facts create quite a conundrum,” KSCO Detective Jeff Snell told The Press. “We don’t know how Ryan was able to leave his house, how he was able to get to the lake and how he ultimately drowned in the water. Each of these questions is an intertwined but separate mystery.”

What little details are known about the case only deepen the mystery. According to MacDonald, Ryan’s mother insisted on using reusable cloth diapers — but when Ryan was found, he was wearing a disposable diaper. His bottle reportedly washed up on shore about a day later.

The layout of Ryan’s bedroom also made it unlikely that the toddler had gotten out of the room on his own, according to Lt. Jeff Howard with KCSO.

“It’s hard to understand how he would have gotten out of the room without anyone knowing,” Howard said.

Ryan’s death has never been ruled an intentional homicide, Snell explained, because there has never been enough evidence to do so.

“While we can’t rule homicide out, he had no injuries or signs of physical or sexual abuse that would be more consistent with homicide,” Snell said.

According to Snell, KCSO is not seeking prosecution for a crime at this point, short of a criminal homicide — they are only asking for answers.

“Someone knows the truth surrounding this case,” Snell said. “Someone has likely been told the truth, even if they were not personally involved. We are praying that anyone with information about this case will come forward and help us ease the pain of Ryan’s family and the community that his death has caused.”

“This one event has caused so much damage to our family,” MacDonald said. “We just want answers, if somebody ends up having to pay that’s fine but that’s not my goal. I just want an answer.”

Anyone with information about the case should call Detective Snell 208-446-2238 or email at jsnell@kcgov.us.  

    Photo from the KCSO case file on Ryan Hoeffliger's disappearance shows the dock on Hayden Lake where the two-year-old's body was found.