TOLLE COUNTY — The search for Great Falls teen Kendall Danna continues at Lake Elwell on Monday, June 17, 2024.
The Toole County Sheriff’s Office said on June 15, that Kendall — 17 years old — was one of our people who reportedly had been paddle-boarding at the lake on Saturday afternoon.
Sheriff Tyler Padilla said his agency received a 911 text message at about 1:30 p.m. with a location ping at the north point of Turner Road off of Lake Elwell.
Investigators learned that the four people were paddle-boarding across the lake when the weather turned bad, with winds of up to 40 mph and waves reaching five feet.
The group got separated, and a female made it to the north point of Turner Road, informing officers that the other three were unaccounted for as they attempted to swim back to North Bootlegger.
One of the missing people was found a few minutes later at the Turner Road location.
At about 2:30 p.m., searchers located another person in the water wearing a life jacket, calling for help. They were able to recover the male around 3:10 p.m.
As of Monday morning, Kendall is still missing. She was wearing a red and black swimsuit.
The Toole County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday: “Statements made during interviews indicate that Kendall had lost contact with an inflatable paddle-board and was last seen submerging in the water.”
Among the agencies participating in the search are the Toole County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, personnel from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, US Border Patrol, and Two Bear Air.
Anyone with information about the missing teen is asked to call the Toole County Sheriff’s Office at 406-434-5585 or call 911.
We will update you as we get more information.