The body of missing Amy Harding-Permann was found in the Missouri River south of Great Falls near Big Bend Estates, according to a Thursday news conference with Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter.
The 34-year-old operating nurse her body was found by a local homeowner just before 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, close to the area in Montana she was reported missing earlier this year on Jan. 26.
Following her autopsy in the state crime lab of Missoula, officials concluded that she died of accidental drowning.
Harding-Permann was reported missing after an altercation with her boyfriend, who reported her missing and told authorities she had walked away toward the river.
At the time of the missing person report, search and rescue teams used helicopters, drones, and search dogs to cover the area where she was last seen. Approximately 170 volunteers helped to search the area on Jan. 29, but they found nothing.
The volunteers that showed up to help in the search were area volunteer firefighters, along with volunteers from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials, and the Montana Highway Patrol, The Associated Press reported.
Slaughter, at the time, said it was the first time he asked the public to help in a missing person report.
Previously, Slaughter said he treats all missing person cases as criminal investigations until all the evidence has been obtained.
“Missing persons cases are taken extremely seriously and oftentimes do end in a foul-play situation,” Slaughter told the Great Falls Tribune. “So we wanted to make sure that we were being diligent in our investigation and not releasing information that we believed at the time was criminal justice information.”
Now that officials found Harding-Permann’s body, Slaughter said the investigation is completed and the case is closed.
A GoFundMe page was created for financial support to Harding-Permann’s two sons, 16-year-old Ashton and 9-year-old Brodie, and their father, Matt.
“Due to these unforeseen circumstances Matt, their father, has been left to care for the two boys on his own,” the page read. “He will be financial responsible for their extra curricular activities, caring for their health, and basic needs.”
Tammy Goff, a 59-year-old woman who vanished last year on July 12 from the same general area as Harding-Permann has still not been found.
Goff’s family members have since offered a $40,000 reward for any information that will lead to finding her.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
