GREAT FALLS – There have been five confirmed and two suspected drownings across Montana in the past two weeks.

LINCOLN COUNTY: The body of a kayaker reported missing last week near Kootenai Falls in the Libby area has been recovered. Jessica Prado was reported missing in the river around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Prado and Jared Satterlund were in a two-person kayak that capsized just below China Rapids. Prado's body was found and recovered in the Kootenai River around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 30.

LEWIS & CLARK COUNTY: A man who drowned in the Missouri River near Craig on June 20 has been identified as 71-year-old Danial Francis Gard. Sheriff Leo Dutton said Tuesday that Gard allegedly fell overboard while attempting to retrieve an oar that had fallen into the water. Friends were able to pull him back on board and he was taken to the boat ramp in Craig, but efforts to resuscitate Gard were unsuccessful.

GLACIER COUNTY: The woman who drowned near St. Mary Falls on the east side of Glacier National Park on Sunday, June 23, has been identified as 26-year-old Gillian Tones of North Apollo, Pennsylvania. Witnesses said Tones slipped on wet, slippery rocks and fell into Virginia Creek between St. Mary and Virginia Falls, about 200 feet above the hiking bridge. Tones was quickly swept away by the cold, fast-flowing water and plunged over a series of smaller waterfalls. She then remained pinned underwater by a log for several minutes before other park visitors attempted to pull her from the river.

RAVALLI COUNTY: A 76-year-old man died after being thrown from a raft into the Bitterroot River on Monday, June 24. Sheriff Steve Holton says Roger Lee Booth of Charleston, West Virginia, drowned in the incident, which occurred near Woodside Cutoff east of Corvallis in western Montana. The accident occurred when a raft Booth was fishing from struck a bridge pillar and overturned, throwing the three people into the river, a news release states. Sheriff Holton says first responders reached the victim and provided emergency medical care, but Booth died at the scene. The other two men who were thrown from the raft were able to make it safely to shore.

FLATHEAD COUNTY: Last week, a fugitive drowned while fleeing police officers in Flathead County. Steven Jeffrey O'Shields, of Franklin, North Carolina, had warrants out for his arrest on several charges, including burglary, theft of services and sexual abuse of a child, a news release said. On June 21, authorities received a tip that O'Shields was on foot at the Big Creek Campground in the North Fork area. Officers rushed to the area and saw O'Shields walking south on North Fork Road, near mile marker 11. O'Shields ran into the woods toward the Flathead River. Officers saw O'Shields wade into the river and then struggle to stay afloat. Officers were unable to reach O'Shields, who was last seen walking around a bend south of the glacier's edge. The search continued for O'Shields, whose body was eventually discovered underwater near the Blankenship Bridge by a Two Bear Air helicopter. North Valley Search and Rescue crews recovered O'Shields' body and transported it to the Montana State Lab in Missoula for an autopsy.

In addition to the five confirmed drownings, authorities are continuing to search for two people who are believed to have drowned in the past two weeks.

Toole County: The search for Great Falls teenager Kendall Danna has continued on Lake Elwell since Sunday, June 30, 2024. Kendall was one of four people paddling on the lake on the afternoon of June 16. As they crossed the lake, the weather turned bad, resulting in waves up to 5 feet high and wind gusts up to 40 mph. Three of the people were able to get to safety or were later rescued by first responders, but Kendall has not yet been found. The Toole County Sheriff's Office said in a news release, “Statements during interviews indicate that Kendall had lost contact with an inflatable paddle board and was last seen underwater.” On Sunday, June 30, the Toole County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that numerous agencies and individuals are continuing the search, but due to “weather of high winds and rain” over the past few days, “search techniques and methods have been challenging.”

Lake District: The search continues for a boater in distress on Flathead Lake. Lake County Sheriff Don Bell has identified the missing person as 34-year-old Chad Hansen of Missoula. He was last seen in the area north of Little Bull Island and south of Safety Bay. Hansen became separated from his boat and witnesses who attempted to help him were unable to assist him. Based on witness statements, it is believed he drowned, a news release said.