Park officials identify woman who drowned near St. Mary Falls

Authorities on Tuesday identified the woman who drowned near St. Mary Falls on the east side of Glacier National Park as Gillian Tones, 26, of North Apollo, Pennsylvania.

Park officials initially said Tones entered the water above St. Mary Falls on June 23, but clarified Tuesday that she likely slipped on wet, slippery rocks and fell into Virginia Creek between St. Mary and Virginia Falls, approximately 200 meters above St. Mary and Virginia Falls. trail bridge.

Tones was swept away by the cold, fast-moving water and flowed through a series of small waterfalls before becoming trapped underwater by a log for several minutes, officials said. Nearby visitors undertook “heroic efforts” to pull her from the water, authorities said.

Despite resuscitation efforts by bystanders, park rangers, ambulance personnel and ALERT air ambulances, Tones never regained consciousness. She was pronounced dead by ALERT staff around 7 p.m. on June 23.

Park dispatchers received several 911 calls routed through Glacier County dispatch around 5:20 p.m. Park rangers were on scene around 5:45 p.m. and the ALERT helicopter landed nearby around 6:20 p.m.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by email at [email protected].