Found Deceased MT - Brendan Rollins, 20, Hiking Sluice Boxes State Park, 23 Oct 2020

[PommyMommy]

OCT 25, 2020
Authorities searching for missing man in Sluice Boxes State Park

• Brenden Rollins, a 20-year-old from Great Falls, was reported missing to the Cascade County Sheriff's Office on Saturday at 12:47 p.m. by his friend, Logan Haakenson.
• Logan told the Sheriff's Office that he and Brendan went to the Sluice Boxes State Park (35 miles SE of Great Falls) on Friday evening.
• As the weather became worse, they got cold and decided to hike back to their vehicle.
• During their hike out, Haakenson said he fell off of the trail and into a ravine and couldn't hike out of it because it was dark. This separated the two, Haakenson said.
• Haskenson had a sleeping bag and spent the night in the ravine. In the morning he hiked out, was found by a hunter, and realized that he and Rollins were not where they originally thought they were.
• The search area for Rollins is currently over 1,500 acres.
• On Sat and Sun the search focused along the trail between the upper parking lot of the park, south to where it intersects with Logging Creek Rd on the west side of Belt Creek.
• Agencies involved in the search are the Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, Cascade County Search and Rescue, Belt Fire Department and U.S. Air Force.
• The recent snowfall made trails treacherous to traverse but ground crews searched the trail from the upper parking lot to the last known location.
• Authorities have been pinging Rollins' cell phone, but it appears to be off. The last known ping location is consistent with the area being searched.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base has been flying the area as the weather permits.
• Call Sheriff’s Dispatch at 406-454-6979 or detective Araujo at 406-422-3095 with information.

20-year-old man goes missing hiking Sluice Boxes

 

[PommyMommy]

It appears that his first name is spelled "Brendan" according to his Facebook. Alerting a mod to correct the thread title.

Brendan Rollins

 

[ElementalLaura]

Wow, Haakenson is fortunate he wasn’t injured when he fell.

I wonder if their original plan was to camp overnight, since they arrived in the evening. That would hopefully mean that Rollins also had a sleeping bag and perhaps the tent and even a stove or fire source.

Hoping for the best.

 

[PommyMommy]

Found Deceased.

OCT 25, 2020
Body of missing Great Falls man found in ravine at Sluice Boxes State park
The body of a missing Great Falls man was found in the bottom of a ravine inside Sluice Boxes State Park Sunday evening, Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said.

[...]

Rollins' body will remain at the scene for the evening due to darkness, the sheriff said. The body will be guarded, he said.

The body will be hoisted out by helicopter with the assistance of Malmstrom Air Force Base on Monday, Slaughter said.

[...]

Rest peacefully, Brendan.

Brendan Rollins Search

 

[ElementalLaura]

Oh no, too young.

Rest In Peace, Brendan.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Death ruled as accidental, due to hypothermia.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...tana-man-found-in-state-park-ruled-accidental

 

[Tutter]

They both fell into different ravines? And Only 1 made it out.

very sad.