Safe house schemes, hidden jail deaths and denied treatment — the year in investigative reporting in Idaho

It was a good year for accountability in the Pacific Northwest, as InvestigateWest published major investigations and deep-dive journalism on issues affecting people across the region. Here are six stories out of Idaho that we broke in 2024.

‘Like being trafficked all over again’

Victims of sex trafficking in southern Idaho are often funneled to safe houses run by a nonprofit closely aligned with local police and political figures. In a three-part investigation published in July, InvestigateWest reporters Wilson Criscione and Kelsey Turner revealed that former employees and residents say the program recruited and kept women in the houses using manipulative tactics mirroring those of traffickers. Residents were then drawn into a scheme in which a for-profit company affiliated with the nonprofit billed their Medicaid plans for services they said they never received. The stories prompted a federal investigation into potential Medicaid fraud, debates about funding for the nonprofit by Idaho officials, and a whistleblower lawsuit.  

Public left in dark on jail deaths

In the last five years, dozens of people have died in Idaho jails without any public notifications, reporter Whitney Bryen revealed in the first of a series of stories exposing the lack of investigation and transparency surrounding deaths in county jails. Some jails fail to disclose any details to the public, and others refuse to report them to the state. When jails do submit a report, details are scarce and follow-up investigations are voluntary. Even routine annual inspections — required in many states — are voluntary in Idaho, and a third of counties fail those. As part of the project Bryen assembled a database so readers could view the inspection reports for their county’s jail.  

Audio reveals schisms among Idaho conservatives

A secret recording leaked to InvestigateWest’s Daniel Walters revealed a right-wing lobbyist trying her best to keep a lawmaker in line during an intense argument that reflected the deepening divide on the right in Idaho politics. The recording captured a nearly two-hour dispute between lobbyist Maria Nate and Rep. Heather Scott that focused, in part, on Scott’ support for a speaker of the House seen as a moderate. The schism deepened into a battle between competing Freedom Caucuses — as different groups of lawmakers tried to claim the mantle of conservative standard-bearers in the Idaho Capitol.

Bird flu spreads faster than testing

As bird flu began racing through dairies and poultry farms, prompting epidemiologists to warn of a potential pandemic if it entered the human population, InvestigateWest asked: What are states doing to test, monitor and prevent the spread of the virus? Reporter Rachel Spacek discovered that most experts believe the answer is: not enough. Though testing regimens vary state to state, Spacek found that few human tests are being conducted, leaving workers — who are often migrant laborers and sometimes undocumented — to look out for themselves. Idaho, in particular, has not tested or monitored farms for human cases, and officials there plan to start doing so only when cases start showing up among people.

Marijuana and pregnancy, post-Dobbs

Pregnant mothers in Idaho are being labeled child abusers for using drugs — mostly cannabis — before giving birth, according to a deeply reported story from InvestigateWest’s Kelsey Turner. Turner shared the experiences of Calli, a Kootenai County preschool teacher who was put on a state registry for people with substantiated claims of child abuse, neglect or abandonment, after she tested positive for marijuana following her daughter’s birth. Turner’s story demonstrated how Idaho officials are increasingly using the Supreme Court’s Dobb’s decision and a state law protecting “preborn children” to accuse mothers of abusing or neglecting children before giving birth.

‘Domestic terrorist’ helps lawmakers craft bill

Eric Parker became notorious for aiming a semi-automatic rifle at federal agents who had come to seize Cliven Bundy’s cattle in a notorious 2014 standoff in Nevada. But he has been welcomed warmly in the Capitol in Boise. Reporter Daniel Walters revealed that Parker worked with Idaho lawmakers to craft legislation weakening the state’s anti-terrorism laws — a move that former attorney general Jim Jones warned would gut the state’s Terrorist Control Act. Following InvestigateWest’s report in February, the bill died in committee.

State denying psychiatric care for hundreds of children

When doctors recommend inpatient care for children with severe psychiatric disabilities, Idaho frequently fails to provide it. Reporter Whitney Bryen pored over five years of state records and found that the state has provided such inpatient care less than a third of the time when health care providers say it is needed — which leaves the kids and their families scrambling desperately to find care in a state with few options. Parents, children’s behavioral health advocates and attorneys say Idaho is violating a federal law requiring states to pay for all “medically necessary services” for children and young adults under 21 who are covered by Medicaid, and a federal investigation into the state’s compliance is under way.