Great Day Of Fishing Leads To Missing Person Report Search & Rescue Called Out

Press release from Mel Rice Search and Rescue P.R.O.

Sunday evening at 6:10 PM, the Beaverhead Search and Rescue managers were paged out to determine a plan of attack for a missing 54 year old Butte man. The neighbor of the missing individual noticed he had not returned from a morning fishing trip to Agnes Lake. The lost individual had apparently made reference to being home around noon that day. When the neighbor confirmed the gentleman was not home he called the missing individual’s sister in Billings. She in turn called the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s office and reported him overdue. The sheriff’s office dispatched Deputy Wyrick to Browns Lake to confirm the presence of the individual’s vehicle.

Managers Mel Rice, Park Scott and Lawrence Morrisroe, decided to wait for deputy Wyrick’s findings. At 7:00 PM Wyrick confirmed that the missing individual’s vehicle was at Browns Lake at the Agnes Lake trailhead. Deputy Wyrick began the hike into Agnes Lake. The general membership was paged and hasty teams were deployed to search for the missing individual.

The first hasty team was sent to the quarry road at the west end of Browns Lake. Other hasty teams were sent to search around the perimeter of Browns Lake, hike the trail up to Agnes Lake, and to the Rainbow Lake trailhead in case he took the wrong trail and was trying to get out in one of those directions.

At 8:35 PM team one had reached Agnes Lake by motorcycles and had located the missing individual. He was in good health and enjoying a great day of fishing. By 9:30 all Search and Rescue members, Deputy Wyrick, and the missing individual were off the mountain back to vehicles and heading home.

Exactly why the reporting parties thought he would be home by noon is unclear. When searchers found him he was quite surprised and had no idea why anyone would have believed him to be home by early afternoon. Just a great reminder for all to communicate with someone what your intentions are as far as where you are going and when you plan to be back home.

S&R members participating in the search were: Cole Cottom, Dusty Crowe, Alan Holt, Kolby Malesich, Shane Puyear, Clint Rouse, Cody Schnee, Mark Smith, Brian Vinson, Dan Cahil, Nathan Freeman, and Alex Dunn… Thanks to the dedicated members of your Beaverhead Search and Rescue, another mission was successful. Remember, we are “In the Business of Saving Lives”!!!!