Delia D'Ambra

The guy had also previously lived in Mullen, but currently resided in Spokane, Washington.

In response to why their source had waited so long to report this alleged sighting of Ellsworth after his disappearance, the sheriff of Shoshone County told the newspaper, quote, This man did not give us the information before because he thought that Teed would be arrested if found.

He did not want to be a squealer, end quote.

The sheriff and another deputy game warden, who were the main guys steering the investigation at that point, felt confident, based on the tipster's information, that Ellsworth was still alive and likely living in Canada somewhere.

They said as much to reporters, but it was reported that these officials were never actually able to find any proof that Ellsworth had gone to Canada.

To his loved ones, the suggestion that he'd simply abandon his life, his family, and a career he loved to take off to Canada seemed preposterous.

By all accounts, he was content with his life and, not to mention, had left his vehicle, personal belongings, and life insurance money behind.

From the content I came across, it seems like the only connection that Ellsworth had to Canada was his sister, who, like I mentioned earlier, had put up a $300 reward for information in the case.

The obvious question I asked myself was, why would she do that if she was, for instance, aiding Ellsworth?

Also, why would she put up the funds if she suspected for any reason that her brother had come to Canada to escape his life in Idaho?

I searched for answers to these questions in the coverage, but I couldn't find anything.

And that's because there was a huge lull in reporting.

Almost eight years went by before the case made headlines again.

On February 6th, 1942, Alma, Ellsworth's widow, won a civil suit against the insurance company that held his life insurance policy.

By that point, it was widely assumed that Ellsworth was dead, but the company had not paid out.

According to the coverage, a judge settled the issue once and for all when he decided that Alma was owed the $3,000 that was due to her and her children.

The judge also legally declared Ellsworth deceased at that point.

Fast forward decades later, in May 2023, the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial officially recognized Ellsworth Teed as a fallen officer.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

also added him to their registry.