Body found in reservoir

Hungry Horse News

A Kalispell man's body was pulled from the Hungry Horse Reservoir Monday morning after a search in the Graves Bay area.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office has identified the victim as Michael Keith Usery, 25. The body was found in about 21 feet of water just off a ledge.

Sheriff Mike Meehan said a man called Sunday to report that another man with whom he had been camping was missing. The call came in at about 1 p.m.

North Valley Search and Rescue was dispatched to the area about 37 miles south of Hungry Horse Dam. Searchers interviewed campers and boats patrolled the area.

A dive team was sent to the area where the man was last seen Saturday night, a rocky ledge along the Graves Bay shoreline.

The camper who reported his friend's absence woke up around 9 a.m. Sunday, did a search of the area and realized the other man was missing. The report wasn’t made until the camper was able to get cell service at about 1 p.m. Sunday.

An autopsy conducted at the State Crime Lab in Missoula ruled the cause of death as drowning.