Police Give Update On Missing Person Case For Michael Fontz

Press Release: December 21, 2022

Update on the Michael Fontz missing person case:

Due to the circumstances surrounding the case, this update is in hopes to shed some light to the community, family, and friends of Michael. Michael’s Vehicle was located next to the Big Hole River near Melrose. As a result of the evidence that was collected and the ice conditions of the river it is a high probability of an ice/water related accident. The entire area surrounding that section of river has been greatly canvassed by Beaverhead County Search and Rescue. The open water portion of the river including parts of the ice shelf were searched by the brave men and women of the Ruby Valley Search and Rescue team. At this point all attempts to recover Michael Fontz have been unsuccessful.

The area surrounding this search has been closed off by the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office. We are asking the community to stay out of this area for safety and evidence integrity reasons. Continued attempts and strategies to recover Michael are being worked through by a joint agency effort. I would personally like to thank the community that has been of great assistance to the search effort, as well as Beaverhead County Search and Rescue, Ruby Valley Search and Rescue, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office.

If you have any further information regarding this case, please call (406)683-3701,

Joel Stewart

Asst. Chief of Police