For the week of September 18 - 24, 2002

Reward to solve disappearance of Pitkethly reinstated

---

By GREG MOORE
Express Staff Writer

On the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Ketchum resident Jay Pitkethly, his family is reinstating a $25,000 reward for information leading to a solution of the mystery.

"We have run out of leads," said Blaine County Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Sage, who directs the department’s search efforts. "But I think somebody knows where he’s at. I’m hoping somebody will say, ‘Hey, that’s not bad money.’"

Jay Pitkethly

Pitkethly, 42, disappeared last fall after apparently abandoning a borrowed car in Gimlet, south of Ketchum. An extensive search was conducted for several days, but no trace of him was found, nor any indication of what may have occurred.

Pitkethly had suffered a head injury earlier in the day, and investigators and his family have said they think the injury could have been more serious than was believed and that he may have died from its effects. Sage said the most plausible scenario put together by police is that when Pitkethly died, he was in the company of someone who, for one reason or another, did not want to be connected with the death and disposed of the body.

Sage said police have uncovered no likely motive for anyone to have killed Pitkethly intentionally. He also said Pitkethly was very attached to his family and was in the process of opening a new business, and therefore unlikely to have intentionally disappeared.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office at 788-5555.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.