Armstrong County woman dies after falling into river in Glacier National Park

WEST GLACIER, Mont. (EYT) — A day in Glacier National Park took a tragic turn for an Armstrong County woman: She drowned when she slipped and fell into a river near St. Mary Falls on the east side of the park on Sunday, June 23, park officials reported.

According to park authorities, the victim was identified as Gillian Tones, a 26-year-old resident of North Apollo.

Initial reports indicated that Tones entered the water voluntarily above St. Mary Falls, but further eyewitness accounts made it clear that she lost her footing on the wet, slippery rocks and fell into Virginia Creek.

The creek, which runs between St. Mary and Virginia Falls and about 200 meters above the trail bridge, swept Tones into its raging, icy waters. She was carried over several smaller waterfalls and eventually became trapped under a tree trunk. Despite the quick response of park visitors who managed to pull her out of the water, Tones was seriously injured.

Emergency responders, including park rangers, rescue teams and ALERT rescue helicopters, attempted CPR but were unable to revive her. Tones was pronounced dead at the scene around 7 p.m. Sunday, June 23, park officials said.

The incident prompted multiple emergency calls that were routed through Glacier County Emergency Services beginning at approximately 5:20 p.m. Park rangers arrived on scene at 5:45 p.m. and an ALERT helicopter was on scene at 6:20 p.m.

“The park extends its deepest condolences to Tones’ family and friends and asks the public to respect their privacy,” the park said in a press release.