11-year-old Glacier mystery finally solved

Michigan man, missing since '97, declared dead

The remains of a Michigan man who disappeared in Glacier National Park in 1997 have been recovered, the park's chief ranger and the Glacier County sheriff confirmed this week.

The remains of Matthew Truszkowski were discovered in summer 2006, but it was not made public because of a lengthy process of identifying the remains that was never conclusive, Glacier County Sheriff Wayne Dusterhoff said.

Acting on an anonymous tip, the Inter Lake inquired last week about the recovery with Glacier Chief Ranger Mark Faust.

"I can tell you that we found what we believe to human remains at the base of Sinopah Mountain in the summer of 2006," said Faust, adding that the case was turned over to Dusterhoff, who also is the county coroner.

Faust said an off-trail hiker found a rubber boot sole at the bottom of an avalanche chute below the southern cliffs on Sinopah Mountain, one of the more prominent features in the Two Medicine Valley.

"Some rangers went up and searched the area and found bone fragments," Faust said. "A more extensive search found more bone fragments and part of a credit card."

Dusterhoff said the bone fragments were sent to the State Crime Lab in Bozeman, and there was a protracted but unsuccessful effort to derive DNA from the remains.

"They also found and turned over to us a portion of a credit card which we managed to get a return on that it was probably [Truszkowski's], based on a few numbers we had," Dusterhoff said.

Because the remains were not handled by a physician or mortuary, and due to the inconclusive DNA analysis, Dusterhoff had to prepare a special death certificate that was submitted to the state's Bureau of Vital Statistics.

"I'm assuming that it has gone through and there were no glitches," he said. Death certificates are not public records in Montana until 30 years after a person dies.

Dusterhoff said the certificate says the cause of death is "undetermined" and "possible climbing accident in Glacier National Park."

Truszkowski was a 25-year-old from Lexington, Mich., who was working at the Glacier Park Lodge during summer 1997. He told friends that he intended to climb to the summit of Sinopah Mountain on July 5, and when he failed to return, a massive search was launched.

At its peak, the search involved up to 50 people, helicopters and search dogs. After 10 days it was scaled back, and by the end of the summer it was over. Truszkowski had disappeared without a trace until 2006.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com