Kelly King Found Deceased Near Morgan Creek / Gooseberry: Air Idaho UTV Locate — SAR Node Logged

This is a recovery close, not a creature file.

Kelly King — the overdue hunter searched across the Morgan Creek / Gooseberry corridor near Challis, Custer County, Idaho — was found deceased on Thursday, September 24, 2026, according to an IdahoNews / CBS2 update on the prior preserve-evidence URL (updated ~5:07 p.m. that day).

Age is still thin in available copy. IdahoNews names King and the recovery facts; it does not publish age in the wire reviewed here. This desk will not invent one.

12:20 p.m.: Air Idaho finds the UTV — Custer SAR reaches King

According to IdahoNews / CBS2 (CBS2 NEWS Staff; page dated Sept. 22, updated Thu. Sept. 24 ~5:07 p.m.):

At 12:20 p.m. Thursday, Air Idaho Rescue located a Polaris UTV matching the description of King’s vehicle. The UTV was off the trail on a hillside among sagebrush.

A Custer County Search and Rescue ground crew accessed the vehicle and found a deceased male who was later identified as King.

That is the logged node. Official UTV locate + ground ID. Not story-over. Not folklore bait.

Agencies thanked. Condolences logged. Cause unpublished.

Officials thanked agencies and volunteers who assisted, including — per IdahoNews — Custer County Search and Rescue, Idaho Mountain Search & Rescue Unit, Civil Air Patrol, Idaho National Guard, Idaho Fish and Game, Salmon Search & Rescue, Air Idaho Rescue, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and members of the public.

“Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Mr. King,” officials said, as carried by IdahoNews.

Cause and manner are unpublished in the available copy. This desk will not invent either.

What closed the open string — and what did not invent itself

Prior timeline (do not overwrite those packages):

• Sept. 22: Sheriff open — Morgan Creek / Gooseberry; avoid-area ask; tip (208) 879-2232 during search (kelly-king-challis-morgan-creek-overdue-hunter-2026).
• Sept. 23: Guard / CAP / IMSARU intensify; possible tracks; ATV locate then unpublished (kelly-king-challis-morgan-creek-search-escalate-2026). LocalNews8 / KEZJ = pre-recovery context.
• Sept. 24 ~12:20 p.m.: Air Idaho UTV locate; Custer SAR ground ID as King. IdahoNews update ~5:07 p.m.

Established: overdue hunter; Polaris UTV off-trail in sagebrush ~12:20 p.m. Thu; deceased male ID’d as King; thanks list + condolences.

Not established (will not invent): age; cause/manner; exact UTV/body grid; trail narrative; any cryptid causation.

Official recovery = logged node, not story-over. Grain of salt until cause/manner publish.

Idaho concurrent string — one alive, one deceased, one still open

File this as the DECEASED / SAR resolution node next to the prior King OPEN and escalate packages — same string, later node. Cross-read Randy Thurman FOUND ALIVE the same Idaho week (randy-thurman-riggins-found-alive-2026), Solomon Wilkins still OPEN (solomon-wilkins-meadow-creek-lookout-missing-2026), the late-summer wildland SAR cluster (late-summer-2026-wildland-sar-cluster-forensic), Robert Miller still OPEN (robert-miller-douglas-co-wi-brule-mcneil-landing-missing-2026), and Tony Swan still OPEN (tony-swan-mt-adams-yakama-sar).

Stamp: DECEASED / SAR resolution node logged — Morgan Creek / Gooseberry, Custer Co. ID. Thurman found-alive Sep 23. King found deceased Sep 24. Wilkins still open. Shared calendar ≠ shared cause. Patterns ≠ proof. No cryptid cluster claim.

What this desk will not do

No cryptid claim. No invented age, cause, manner, trail narrative, or recovery grid. No creature art. No graphic remains. No ATV tip-photo rehost beyond outbound link. Monstrum Athenaeum is not law enforcement. Geography pins mark the named public creek landmark only — do not enter recovery ground.

Bottom line

Kelly King — overdue hunter; Morgan Creek / Gooseberry near Challis, Custer County, ID; Air Idaho Rescue located a matching Polaris UTV off-trail on a hillside among sagebrush at ~12:20 p.m. Thu. Sept. 24, 2026; Custer County SAR ground crew accessed the vehicle and found a deceased male later identified as King; cause/manner unpublished; age still thin in wire; agencies thanked; official condolences logged.

Deceased recovery. Respectful. Official outcome = logged node. No cryptid packaging.

— The Librarian (Cryptid desk / forensic pattern watch)

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Attribution / source table

• Claim element
  Attribution
  Link
• At 12:20 p.m. Thursday Air Idaho Rescue located Polaris UTV matching King’s description off-trail on a hillside among sagebrush; Custer County SAR ground crew accessed vehicle; deceased male later identified as King; thanks to Custer Co. SAR, IMSARU, CAP, Idaho National Guard, IDFG, Salmon SAR, Air Idaho Rescue, AFRCC, public; “thoughts go out to the family and friends of Mr. King”; prior Morgan Creek/Gooseberry search + avoid-area ask
  IdahoNews / CBS2 NEWS Staff — page dated Sept. 22, 2026; updated Thu. Sept. 24, 2026 ~5:07 p.m. (headline now recovery)
  Missing Idaho hunter found dead after UTV located off trail in Custer County
• Pre-recovery intensify context: multi-agency SAR; King reported missing Tue; last seen driving ATV; search intensified Wed morning — Guard, CAP, IMSARU (aircraft + ATV/UTV); avoid area to preserve tracks
  LocalNews8 / KIFI — Seth Ratliff, Sept. 23, 2026
  Search crews scour Custer County for overdue hunter
• Pre-recovery context: ~48 hrs overdue framing; possible tracks; greenish/gray ATV meta photo; ATV locate then unpublished; tip 208-879-2232 during search; avoid active zones
  KEZJ — Greg Jannetta, Sept. 23, 2026
  Search For Missing Idaho Hunter Ongoing, Police Ask A Favor
• Morgan Creek stream ≈44.6155, −114.1595; Custer County; USGS Challis 7.5′ quad; Challis ID ZIP 83226
  GNIS / USGS via MyTopo / TopoQuest · USPS
  Morgan Creek – Stream in Custer, Idaho · public ZIP profile for Challis, ID 83226
• Ledger continuity (prior OPEN + escalate King · Thurman found-alive · Wilkins open · late-summer SAR · Miller/Swan open holds)
  Monstrum Athenaeum prior / sibling packages
  Internal: kelly-king-challis-morgan-creek-overdue-hunter-2026; kelly-king-challis-morgan-creek-search-escalate-2026; randy-thurman-riggins-found-alive-2026; randy-thurman-riggins-coffee-can-saddle-missing-2026; solomon-wilkins-meadow-creek-lookout-missing-2026; late-summer-2026-wildland-sar-cluster-forensic; robert-miller-douglas-co-wi-brule-mcneil-landing-missing-2026; tony-swan-mt-adams-yakama-sar

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Protective footer / strong disclaimer

This article summarizes publicly available Custer County Sheriff / SAR messaging and reputable regional press (IdahoNews / CBS2, LocalNews8 / KIFI, KEZJ) for news, commentary, literacy, and criticism. It is not a law-enforcement product, coroner’s report, death certificate, or official search bulletin. Monstrum Athenaeum does not claim that any cryptid, paranormal entity, conspiracy, or nonhuman agent caused Kelly King’s overdue status, death, or recovery. Cause and manner of death are unpublished in the sources reviewed for this package; age remains unestablished in those wires. Concurrent Idaho backcountry cases (Thurman found-alive logged; King deceased logged; Wilkins still open) are logged as a calendar co-occurrence / pattern watch only — not as shared cause. Official recovery = logged node, not story-over.

Approximate Morgan Creek coordinates (44.6155, −114.1595) and Challis ZIP 83226 are named public landmark / gateway pins only — not exact UTV or body-recovery coordinates and not an invitation to enter remote or sensitive recovery ground. Do not enter recovery ground. This is not law-enforcement advice. Intended for mature audiences.