The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a woman’s body was found on a barge in Flathead Lake near Lakeside.
Sheriff Chuck Curry said Wednesday morning that the 38-year-old Lakeside woman was found by work crews Monday morning, and that he wasn’t sure if the death was due to natural causes, accidental circumstances, or suicide. Curry said there were not immediate indications of homicide, but the investigation is still looking at all options.
Sheriff’s call logs indicate the body was found at 9:30 a.m. Monday when workers began loading the barge. The barge owner told dispatchers that the woman was “beaten up,” but the sheriff’s office did not confirm that information. The death is considered suspicious.
The woman’s body was taken to the state crime lab in Missoula for an autopsy, and on Wednesday morning, Curry said her body was back in the Flathead.