Remains found in 2022 identified as missing Washington woman

POWER COUNTY, Idaho – The Power County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), in partnership with the Idaho State Police (ISP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Team, a working group within the ISP Forensic Services Division, and multiple other local, state, and federal agencies, has confirmed the identification of human remains discovered nearly three years ago in the Fort Hall River bottoms as those of Lesiah Olivia Pickett, a missing woman from Spokane, Washington.

On July 30, 2022, a fisherman located a human skull along the Fort Hall River in Power County. The following day, investigators from the Fort Hall Police Department, the FBI’s Pocatello Office, and the Power County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene. A search of the area yielded no additional skeletal remains. No signs of trauma were noted. The remains were turned over to the Ada County Coroner’s Office and later submitted to the FBI Lab for DNA and anthropological analysis. The FBI produced 3D facial approximation images of the skull, approved for media and law enforcement use.

In April 2024, the ISP SAKI Team contacted PCSO regarding the skull and offered assistance in determining the identity.

In May 2025, the skull was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), and a bulletin was distributed to law enforcement agencies in surrounding states. Through coordination between ISP SAKI, NamUs, and forensic odontologists, two possible matches were identified. One was ruled out by DNA comparison; the second potential match was confirmed through a comparison of dental records within the NamUs database.

On June 26, 2025, NamUs confirmed the remains belonged to Ms. Pickett, who had been missing since late 2019. Records indicate Ms. Pickett was seen in American Falls, Idaho, on October 4, 2019, and later in the Pocatello area on October 20, 2019. She was known to be a transient who was previously in Ogden, Utah, in September 2019. The family has been notified of the identification.

“This identification reflects the power of teamwork, science, and tenacity,” said Sheriff Joshua Campbell, Power County. “We are grateful to have worked alongside our local and federal partners to bring some measure of peace to Ms. Pickett’s family. Cold cases take time, trust, and collaboration, which are all in this case.”

Investigators are now seeking the public’s help. If you saw Lesiah Olivia Pickett after October 20, 2019, or have any information about places she may have stayed, especially in southeast Idaho or the surrounding areas, please contact the Power County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 226-2311.

“Behind every unidentified person is a family searching for answers, and behind every investigation like this is a team who refuses to give up,” Colonel Bill Gardiner, Director of ISP, said. “This case is a testament to what dedicated investigators and forensic professionals can accomplish when they work together across agencies and jurisdictions. We’re grateful to have played a part in giving Ms. Pickett her name back and bringing her family the answers they’ve long deserved.”

The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Power County Sheriff’s Office, Power County Coroner’s Office, ISP SAKI Unit, ISP Forensic Services, Ada County Coroner’s Office, FBI, Fort Hall Police, NamUs, Pocatello Police, and the Spokane Police Department.

“Through the Idaho SAKI program, we were able to offer both forensic and investigative support that ultimately helped give a name back to Ms. Pickett and provided her family with some long-awaited answers,” said Daren Boyd, ISP SAKI Site Coordinator.

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The Idaho State Police Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program is funded through three grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). These grants support Idaho law enforcement’s work to identify lawfully owed DNA samples and solve cold cases involving violent crime, sexual assault, homicide, and unidentified human remains through modern forensic science and investigative techniques.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a national information repository and resource center for all missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases throughout the United States.

Funded and administered by the National Institute of Justice and managed through a contract with RTI International, all NamUs resources are provided at no cost. NamUs bring people, information, forensic science, and technology together to help resolve missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases nationwide.

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