Another day in Anderson search yields no results

The dark, cold water underneath Red Wolf Crossing Bridge hasn't yielded what crews are looking for, but they're not giving up.

Two U.S. Coast Guard officers and local law enforcement authorities will be back on the Snake River today near Clarkston, searching for the remains of Rachael Anderson.

Detective Jackie Nichols of the Asotin County Sheriff's Office said Anderson was allegedly thrown over the rail in 2010. If the missing Clarkston woman's remains are not found near the bridge, crews will move the search downstream.

"Some divers think she may have gone straight down and others think she could've been carried by the current or covered by sand waves at the bottom and buried," Nichols said. "The only way to find out is to start where we think the body went in the river. If we don't find her, we'll continue searching downstream as resources are available."

With the help of specialized sonar equipment and a remotely operated vehicle, the goal is to thoroughly comb the area below the bridge. The water is about 55 feet deep, and the view has been murky so far, a searcher said late Tuesday afternoon.

"It looks like a television without a signal," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Simpson. "It's like static on a screen."

The sonar equipment creates an alternate view, using sound frequencies to give searchers a bird's-eye look at what's underwater, Simpson said. Logs and marine life have been detected during this exercise.

"The specialized equipment was created because divers can only stay down a certain amount of time," he said. "As long as you have power, this can stay down there as long as you need it."

Coast Guard Petty Officer Matthew Fox said the marine equipment has been used to retrieve training weapons off the bottom of a pier and in searches for sunken vessels. The remotely operated vehicle touched bottom at 525 feet in the Pacific Ocean during a search for a sunken fishing boat, Fox said. It can be used in water as deep as 1,000 feet.

Asotin County Sheriff Ken Bancroft said the Coast Guard is using the search for training and not charging the county to scour the Snake River.

"It doesn't cost us anything and it benefits both of us," Bancroft said.

Anderson vanished April 16, 2010, and her estranged husband, Charles A. Capone, is facing murder and conspiracy charges in connection with her death. His friend, David C. Stone, told investigators he helped dispose of her body in the river. Stone has pleaded guilty to failure to notify law enforcement about a death, and agreed to testify against Capone this spring in Latah County District Court.

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.