The authorities have discovered the remains of a woman who disappeared under inexplicable circumstances while she was horseback riding in Montana last week.
Meghan Rouns, a 27-year-old woman, went missing after embarking on a journey with her horse along the McMaster Hills trail, approximately 15 miles away from Downtown Helena, on Friday afternoon.
The search teams discovered the woman’s hat, phone, and horse, which appeared to have been in the Missouri River. However, they were unable to locate her remains at that time. It was evident that the horse was uncomfortable being in the water, and Rouns, unable to swim, faced a challenging situation.
According to Sheriff Leo C Dutton of Lewis and Clark County, he believes that a strong gust of wind caused the woman to be knocked off her horse while she was riding along the river, resulting in her falling into the water (The Independent).
On Tuesday, divers recovered the woman’s body from the river.
The sheriff’s office released a statement expressing their profound sadness as they reported that Meghan was discovered by their search and rescue divers at approximately 3:40 p.m. The statement confirmed the devastating news that Meghan had passed away.
Rouns, a skilled equestrian, was supposed to come back from her ride at around 6 p.m. on Friday. However, when she didn’t return, her father reported her missing two hours later. A search operation commenced at 9 p.m. on the same day and continued until 4 a.m. on Saturday. During the search, authorities found her horse, and a GPS tracker on the horse confirmed that it had been in the river.
The search teams dedicated most of their efforts to thoroughly searching the water in hopes of locating the 27-year-old individual.
Hikers actively searched the area for any potential clues, as helicopters, drones, and cadaver dogs were deployed to assist in the efforts to locate her. Dutton stated that they are currently searching for her due to an extraordinary event that occurred in her life.
