GREAT FALLS - One person has died and another is missing after a Sunday incident in Sluice Boxes State Park.
The area is located about 12 miles south of Belt just west of U.S. Highway 89 between Armington Junction and Monarch.
According to Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter, a person called 911 at about 2:45 p.m. stating that two men went into Belt Creek to rescue a dog and then disappeared into the water and were swept away.
Search and rescue personnel recovered the body of 21-year-old Santiago Nadeau, but 62-year-old Ernest MacMurray is still missing. Both men are from Canada.
Sheriff Slaughter noted that neither man was believed to wearing a life vest.
The search for MacMurray continues. Sheriff Slaughter said he was wearing a gray T-shirt and beige colored shorts.
“These streams and rivers right now are extremely dangerous. This is not a time to be anywhere near or around water. We had a lot of snow, so the rivers are very high and moving very quick," Sheriff Slaughter noted.
The dog was recovered and is safe.
Agencies involved in the search include Cascade County Search & Rescue; Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; Great Falls Police Department; Cascade County Sheriff's Office; and Malmstrom Air Force Base.
