By Chuck Hustmyre
October 24, 2006
BIG TIMBER, Mont. (Crime Library) — When Raymond Hale first spotted the skeleton lying in the brush near the south bank of the Yellowstone River, all he saw was a ribcage. He thought he was looking at the remains of a deer or a sheep. But when he got closer, he saw the skull and knew the bones were human.
The skeleton lay on its back, unclothed except for a scarf or garment of some kind draped around the neck and shoulders, a pair of winter boots, and sweat pants or thermal underwear bottoms pushed down to the ankles.
It was late afternoon, Saturday, Oct. 14 and the 91-year-old Hale had been walking along the riverbank, moving from one fishing spot to another. "I was fishing on the Yellowstone and I decided to leave the place where I was fishing and go downstream about a quarter of a mile to another place," Hale told Crime Library. "I had the choice of walking over a bunch of rocks and stuff or going back in the brush where it was easier walking, and that's the way I went. I want back in the brush and I just happened upon this corpse."
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| Livingston, Montana |
The nearest road was one-half to three-quarters of a mile away from where Hale found the body.
The afternoon of fishing was over. Hale hiked the 300 yards back to his four-wheel-drive truck and drove into town to get the sheriff.
Not long afterward, Hale led Sweet Grass County Sheriff Dan Tronrud, the sheriff's top deputy, and the county coroner to the body. Because of the fading light, Sheriff Tronrud left his deputy there overnight to secure the remains and the surrounding area. The sheriff returned the next day with a forensic team, which included a pathologist from Billings, to conduct a thorough examination of the scene.
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