Body of missing boater recovered from Flathead Lake
The clear waters of Flathead Lake ripple along the rocky shoreline of the Wayfarers unit of Flathead Lake State Park on Friday, Oct. 20. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A dive crew on Wednesday evening recovered the body of a Missoula man who drowned in Flathead Lake last week.
Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said the body of Chad Hansen, 36, was recovered from an area north Polson in The Narrows that is about 75 feet deep.
Hansen went missing Friday, June 28 at about 9:41 p.m. when witnesses saw him become separated from his boat.
“Witnesses attempted to assist him, but were not able to,” Bell said, which prompted the search and rescue mission.
According to Bell, the multiple-day search effort included the use of various technologies from around the region. Teams from Lake, Flathead and Missoula counties, as well as Kootenai County, Idaho assisted in the effort.
The body of Hansen was transported to the Montana State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
A GoFundMe to support Hansen's family is online at gofundme.com/f/help-bring-peace-to-chad-hansens-loved-ones.