HAMILTON - Authorities have found the body of a woman reported missing following a Saturday evening kayaking accident in the Bitterroot River south of Florence.
Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton says the body of 26-year-old Paige Elise Tomberlin of Denver was found late Tuesday afternoon in a log jam in the river near the Poker Joe Fishing Access Site.
Tomberlin'a body was located with the assistance of Ravalli County Search and Rescue, Flathead County Search and Rescue, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and equipment operators from Patzer Farms, a news release states.
Sheriff Holton says Tomberlin's body was located in a "very large log jam she was last seen in when her kayak capsized."
Dog teams were used on Tuesday morning with Sheriff Holton noting that "with the expertise of Flathead County SAR Swift Water Divers, it was determined that removing the log jam was necessary."
Equipment operators and the divers worked to remove the log jam throughout Tuesday afternoon and were able to recover Tomberlin's body shortly after 4 p.m.
"Thanks to the extremely hard work of everyone involved, Paige was delivered to her family today. The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office has been praying for the family since Saturday, and our hearts go out to the Tomberlin family," Sheriff Holton stated.
The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office is reminding people who are using the Bitterroot River to be aware of the hazards and to travel the river safely.
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