On the evening of Monday, June 26, two juvenile boys from Butte hiking in a remote area near Elk Park stumbled upon what no hiker, camper or other explorer hopes to find: human remains.
The remains, decomposed to a skeleton, were sent to the State Crime Lab in Missoula, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Grimsrud, and have yet to be identified.
“The cause and manner of death are under investigation with the assistance of the Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation,” read a June 27 Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
Throughout the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office has received assistance from a variety of agencies, including Elkhorn Search and Rescue, Jefferson Valley Search and Rescue, True North Search Dogs, the Butte-Silver Bow County Sheriff’s Office, the Helena Police Department, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
Although members of the public have developed their own theories for the remains, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has not released further information.
“Our top priority is to make sure we don’t compromise any investigation, and that can be very difficult for the public when speculation takes place,” Jefferson County Disaster and Emergency Service Director, Fire Warden and Public Information Officer Doug Dodge told The Monitor in response to questoins about the public’s theories, adding: “The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to being as transparent as possible while still fulfilling law enforcement responsibilities.”
Dodge also said the office appreciates the publics understand and committed to providing detailed updates as information becomes available.
The Monitor will update this story as more information becomes available.
