Human remains found at Mineral County rest stop

TAFT – Montana authorities are investigating the origin of human remains found near a rest stop off Interstate 90 in Mineral County.

According to Mineral County Sheriff Mike Toth, a huckleberry picker found bones and a shoe near the Dena Mora rest area, a few hundred yards from the off-ramp on the Montana-Idaho border.

Toth said deputies from his department confirmed the remains were human. An investigator with the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation confirmed there were two sets of bones.

Toth took the remains to the state crime lab in Missoula for further investigation. He stated that it could take 2-5 months to get any results back.

Toth believes the remains may be of a man and woman in their 20s who were reported missing from Issaquah, Washington, in 2017. Families of the individuals have been notified.

He said their vehicle was located on Dec. 2 at the Dena Mora rest stop, but a large search in both states turned up nothing.