What started as a family outing on the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River about 30 miles north of the Wyoming border turned into the center of an urgent search effort Wednesday, after a 13-year-old boy went into the water near Fromberg, Montana, and did not resurface.
“We’re still searching,” Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday morning.
The boy, identified only by his first name Ephraim, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and pink dinosaur shorts.
A staff member at Fromberg School District said that Ephraim is a homeschooled middle-schooler, but that he’s been a familiar face at Fromberg school events over the years.
Amy Hayfield, public information officer for the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, told Cowboy State Daily the department was notified just after 4 p.m. Wednesday that the boy had fallen into the water.
“He was with some family recreating in the water,” Hayfield said. “It was a pleasant afternoon on the river when he went in and we have not been able to find him since.”
Search Has Expanded
Initially, Carbon County Search and Rescue and several other local fire and EMS services were activated. The search has since expanded with personnel from U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team in Billings and additional crews from Helena arriving Thursday.
“We’re asking people to continue to avoid the area,” Hayfield said. “We plan to have people in the water as well as drones in the air and searchers on the banks and shores.”
In an update shared by the agency on Wednesday night, the Carbon County Sheriff's Office asked anyone who wants to help to keep an eye out for Ephraim around town and call 911 if they see someone matching his description.
Hayfield said crews are concentrating the search around and below the area where Ephraim reportedly fell in the water, but they are considering all possibilities.
“We don’t want to rule out the fact that potentially he’s lost or hurt or confused around the area,” Hayfield said.
With nearly a dozen agencies responding to the scene, Hayfield said officials are not asking for volunteers at this time. Ephraim’s family has also been present at the scene and in close contact with the sheriff.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
