Tongue River Reservoir Re-opened to Public; Missing Storm Victim Found

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The body of a Sheridan, Wyoming,  man who went missing after a recent deadly hailstorm at Tongue River Reservoir was recovered at about 2 p.m. Monday, July 21st.

The man was on a dock at Tongue River Reservoir State Park when a sudden storm blew the boat he was holding into the lake dragging him into the water with it. A severe hail storm that arrived with 70 mph wind precluded anyone from helping him. When the half-dollar size hail stopped, he was missing.

Divers from Sheridan, Wyo., crews with a sonar boat and dogs trained to find cadavers searched through the past weekend. Limited visibility in the water hampered the search.  A Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Region 7 spokeswoman said the man’s body surfaced on its own Monday about 50 yards from where he disappeared. He was recovered and turned over to the Big Horn County coroner.

Signs closing the search area to the public have been removed and the reservoir is open to the public as usual.

A 47-year-old Sheridan woman who drowned in a separate incident as a result of the same storm was recovered the day after she went missing.