Search Underway for Three Suspects in Flathead River Death

Law enforcement officials are searching for three individuals suspected of being involved in the death of a man who went into the Flathead River in Evergreen.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said authorities responded around 7 p.m., Wednesday, to a report of a man in the river near the former Old Steel Bridge site on Holt Stage Road. The man, described as being approximately 50 to 60 years old with a grey, stubble beard and dark, short hair, was observed floating down the center of the river in distress, Curry said. The man floated downstream a few hundred yards before being swept underwater. Search and rescue crews were unable to recover the body Wednesday night.

Boats, a helicopter and other resources are involved in the search to recover the body, Curry said. The identity of the victim remains unknown.

Multiple witnesses reported seeing three individuals flee the scene in a minivan, described as an older, darker Maroon van with local plates, Curry said.

Curry said the case is currently considered a homicide but declined to provide further details at this time indicating what led to that conclusion.

Curry described the suspects as a female in her late teens or early 20s, heavyset with long, dark hair with blond tips, whose hair was cut to a point in the back; a thin male in his late teens to early 20s wearing dark, baggy pants and a black hoody; and an average-build male in his late teens to early 20s wearing baggy pants.

Anyone with possible information on the identity of the victim or suspects, or anyone who may have witnessed the event is asked to contact the Flathead County Sheriff Detective Division at (406) 758-5600,