John Jefferson
Montana authorities are searching for a woman who disappeared after an afternoon ride, leaving her horse and phone behind.
Meghan Rita Rouns, 27, has not been heard from since Friday, Oct. 4 around 2 p.m., when she took her horse out to a recreational area about 90 minutes from Bozeman, according to the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Department.
Rouns’ parents reported the woman missing around 8 that night, after she failed to return home; her horse and a saddlebag containing her phone were found the next day.
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Although she was last seen around 2 p.m., Rouns posted a photo via Snapchat around 4:20 p.m., Sheriff Leo Dutton told KXLH.
Foot and drone searches carried out by multiple agencies have turned up empty, the department wrote in a Monday Facebook post.
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Because Rouns’ horse was found on a hill near Hauser Lake, the sheriff’s office has focused their search in and around the body of water, Lt. Willy Wegner told KTVH.
Foul play as been ruled out in the woman’s disappearance, Dutton told the US Sun. The sheriff said that the woman may have fallen into the lake due to gusty winds in the area that day, the outlet reported.
“We believe something happened that spooked the horse to get it into the waters,” he said. “We just don’t know what yet.”
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On Monday, Dutton wrote on the department’s Facebook page that he was with Rouns’ family and husband, and that they were searching a portion of the Missouri River.
“Please stay clear of the search area, this includes the water search area. If people try to get there, they will endanger our SCUBA divers,” he wrote. “Please do not interfere with the search… Thank you to the citizens who have given their time on foot, horses and other volunteer services.”
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