EBS STAFF
Red Lodge Fire Rescue announced Sept. 24 that the body of a hiker missing since June 8 was recovered after being swept into East Rosebud Creek near the outlet of Rimrock Lake. The hiker was identified as 23-year-old Tim Sandford of Minnetonka, Minnesota, by Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan.
According to a press release from Red Lodge Fire Rescue, Sandford was swept into the creek while attempting to cross Rimrock Lake along the popular Beaten Path trail between East Rosebud Lake and Cooke City. His body was located approximately 1,500 feet downstream from the outlet by search teams using an aerial drone, while the U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team members conducted operations in the creek.
Since the incident, Red Lodge Fire Rescue, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and partner agencies conducted repeated search operations oftentimes in fast-moving water, waterfalls, large boulders, logs and difficult-to-access terrain. Lower water levels in the summer allied for search teams to ultimately recover Stanford’s body.
“After more than three months of dedicated search operations and hundreds of hours of volunteer time, we are grateful to finally be able to bring Tim home to his family,” said Red Lodge Fire Rescue Chief Tom Kuntz in the release.
Previously, hikers could use the Rimrock Lake bridge to cross, but the structure was destroyed in the 2022 floods across southwest Montana, leaving Beaten Path hikers to attempt dangerous water crossings.
On July 12, 2024, Dylan Honnell, a 20-year-old Montana State University student, was swept into the creek at the same location and later recovered once water levels dropped. A new bridge is set to be installed by the Custer Gallatin National Forest in early October.
