Meghan Rouns, a “beloved cowgirl” and horsewoman, has been found deceased after going missing during a horseback ride.
Meghan Rouns, 27, was reported missing Friday evening (October 4) after she didn’t return from a ride on her horse, Betty, in the McMaster Hills Recreation Area east of Helena, Montana.
Shortly after 4 p.m. local time, she shared a photo on Snapchat showing the Missouri River in the background. That was the last time she was heard from. A few hours later, her father reported her missing.
Meghan’s truck was found parked at a trailhead, Sheriff Captain Brian Robinson said. On Saturday, her horse was found with her phone in the saddlebag.
“Her horse was found just up the hill from [Hauser Lake], so this has become our primary area to search from the evidence we have gathered,” Willy Wegner, the operations lieutenant of Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue, said at the time.
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Search and rescue teams began to concentrate on the Missouri River near where the horse was found grazing. An extensive search began, with the assistance of drones, a helicopter, and ground crews.
After a five-day search, the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Department announced that Meghan’s body had been found by search and rescue divers on Tuesday.
“She was located in 11 feet of water in the Missouri River, about 100 feet from shore,” a statement from the department read.
Her official cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning.
Meghan Rouns is being remembered as “a dedicated and passionate horsewomen [sic] who never backed down from a challenge and welcomed everyone with a smile to ride with her. Her smile, passion for animals and horsemanship, and joy for life was contagious and a blessing to anyone who knew her.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who knew and loved Meghan Rouns.