Search continues Tuesday for body of Minnesotan who fell into Montana creek while hiking 1½ weeks ago

The search continues for a young Twin Cities man who fell into a fast-moving creek while hiking in south-central Montana 1½ weeks ago.

Dylan Honnoll, a 2022 graduate of Rogers High School, was hiking on July 12 when he fell into the rapids of East Rosebud Creek at the outlet of Rimrock Lake and is “believed to have suffered fatal injuries,” read a statement from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office.

Honnoll, who just finished his sophomore year at Montana State University in Bozeman, was attempting to cross the creek while hiking the well-known “Beaten Path” trail from East Rosebud Lake to Cooke City, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Searchers suspect that Honnoll became trapped underwater after he fell in, the Sheriff’s Office statement continued.

Sheriff Jeff Schmalz said Tuesday that the search includes ground crews, a helicopter and a drone.

While officials have not said whether he was hiking with anyone at the time, Honnoll’s mother wrote on Facebook over the weekend that he was backpacking with a friend.

“Dylan had a missed step,” Jill Honnoll explained. “The current got the best of him, and it was in a spot that left no chance for survival. ... The spot where he went in was right above a stretch of water that drops precipitously, and it’s whitewater all the way down, which makes it nearly impossible to see through the water.”

She said that searchers “will likely have to wait for the water levels to come down, potentially into the fall months, to hopefully recover him.”

On Friday, a helicopter from the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office flew over the creek, and its crew identified items in the water associated with Honnoll between Rimrock Lake and an area of the creek known as Broadwater, about 500 yards downstream.

The Sheriff’s Office statement noted that Honnoll “spent a lifetime in the outdoors with his family and friends.”

While in high school, Honnoll played football and soccer. The Rogers High School soccer team posted on Facebook that a prayer vigil had been scheduled for Monday night in the Honnoll family’s neighborhood.