Glacier National Park rangers have found the body of a canoeist believed to have drowned in Swiftcurrent Lake on the park’s east side.
The body of James R. Greene, a 22-year-old from Harrisburg, Pa., was found shortly before noon Tuesday about 20 feet from the lake’s shore.
Rangers began searching for Greene early Tuesday after being notified around 3:30 a.m. that two males had been canoeing on Swiftcurrent Lake when their boat tipped over. Greene’s companion, 29-year-old Joseph “Clay” Nelson from Spring, Texas, was able to swim safely to shore. Nelson is a current employee of Glacier Park Inc., and works at the Many Glacier Hotel. Greene is a former Glacier Park Inc. employee, according to park service officials.
Greene’s body has been sent to the coroner’s office in Glacier County, and the National Park Service is requesting an autopsy as part of the investigation.
Rangers report that at the time of the incident the temperature was in the mid- to upper-40s, and it was not raining. Nearly 20 National Park Service employees helped in the search. Additional resources, including a helicopter and a Flathead County dive team, were requested but were not needed.
Park officials say no other details are available at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
The National Park Service misspelled the victim’s last name in its original press release. This story has been updated to the correct spelling.