Man's body found frozen in snowbank

A man’s frozen body was discovered Thursday afternoon near Essex.

The body, found wedged between two trees near the Izaak Walton Inn, appeared to have been there for months, according to Flathead County Undersheriff Pete Wingert.

A man out for a walk spotted the body frozen in a melting snowbank in a fairly secluded area.

Wingert said it is too early to tell if the man’s death was the result of something suspicious, but there was no obvious cause of death.

Due to animal activity around the body, dental records will be used to try to identify the man, who appears to have been in his 20s.

A knapsack found nearby containing a train ticket and other personal items may provide additional clues.

It took almost two hours to remove the body from the snowbank. “We used a shovel and an ax to chip around the ice,” Wingert said.

The body was taken to a Columbia Falls mortuary.