An 81-year-old Atlanta man drowned after falling into a Montana river while fishing, police said Friday.
Charles Preston McJunkin was in a raft with at least two others Thursday afternoon when he fell into the Stillwater River, according to the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office. McJunkin fell out of the raft when it hit a wave about 3 miles south of Columbus, Mont., in an area known at Beartooth Drop — a location with a history of drownings, Sheriff Clifford Brophy said.
The pilot of the raft, whose name was not released, attempted to pull McJunkin back in the raft, but was unable to do so, according to witnesses. As the raft entered Beartooth Drop, a second passenger fell out of the raft, but she was able to swim to safety, Brophy said.
“Once the raft made it through the drop, the pilot was unable to row back to the victim that drowned,” Brophy said in an emailed statement. “Another group in a raft reported seeing the victim in the water, down river from the drop. The victim appeared lifeless as he floated downriver.”
Witnesses in a second raft were unable to reach McJunkin, who was not wearing a life preserver, Brophy said. There were flotation devices on the raft. Emergency responders recovered McJunkin’s body about a mile away from where he was last seen.
McJunkin had been visiting the Stillwater area to fish for 20 years, Brophy said.
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