Ephraim Dayley, 13, disappeared in the Clarks Fork River during a family outing before search crews recovered his body Thursday.
FROMBERG, Mont. — A 13-year-old Montana boy was found dead Thursday after authorities said he tried to rescue his sister when the siblings ran into trouble while tubing on the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River.
Ephraim Dayley disappeared Wednesday afternoon near Fromberg during a family outing on the river. Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan said Ephraim helped his sister after she came off their tube and struggled to get back on. She ultimately made it safely to shore, but Ephraim went under the water and did not resurface. His body was recovered shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday following an extensive multiagency search.
McQuillan told local news outlets that some details about exactly how the siblings came off the tube remained unclear. What investigators had established, he said, was that Ephraim went to help his sister when she was having difficulty in the water. He succeeded in helping her, but she was unable to get him back to safety. Authorities have not publicly released additional details about the sister.
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office was notified shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday that Ephraim had gone into the river while recreating with family and could not be located, according to sheriff’s office public information officer Amy Hayfield. Search and rescue teams quickly began working the river and surrounding area south of Fromberg.
The search expanded as daylight faded Wednesday and continued Thursday with personnel from numerous agencies. Responders included the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, Fromberg, Edgar and Bridger volunteer fire departments, Clarks Fork Valley EMS, Red Lodge Fire-Rescue, Laurel Fire Department, Bridger Police Department, Yellowstone and Stillwater county sheriff’s offices and water-rescue specialists. A police K9 team also assisted.
Crews searched from the water, riverbanks and air. Dive teams worked sections of the river while emergency drones and a Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office helicopter were used to scan the area. Authorities temporarily asked members of the public to stay away from portions of the river corridor so emergency crews could move safely and so private drones would not interfere with official aircraft.
Witness information indicated Ephraim had gone underwater in the river, McQuillan told MTN News. The sheriff noted that parts of the Clarks Fork contain deep holes even when the river is not running especially high. Officials did not immediately release a formal cause of death, and authorities have not reported circumstances suggesting that another person caused the boy’s death.
Before Ephraim was found, officials also considered the possibility that he might have made it out of the water and become lost or disoriented. The sheriff’s office asked people in and around Fromberg to watch for him while trained crews concentrated on the river. Search officials asked residents not to enter the primary rescue area or launch private drones while the operation was underway.
Ephraim was a homeschooled middle-school student who was familiar to people in the Fromberg school community through local events, according to reporting from Cowboy State Daily. Authorities released his photograph during the search as crews and residents worked to locate him. His last name was publicly confirmed after his body was recovered.
The recovery Thursday ended nearly a day of searching along the river. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office expressed condolences to Ephraim’s family and friends after announcing the outcome. No further official findings about his death had been released as of Saturday, and authorities had not announced any additional investigation beyond the circumstances of the river emergency.
Author note: Last updated September 19, 2026.