Remains of missing Fort Peck man found

Vinson Cooper, 31, disappeared May 27 from the New Bridge neighborhood of Poplar. A witness told police that Cooper fell into the Missouri River and did not resurface.

Search efforts shifted to a recovery mission on May 30.

In a joint statement, tribal and county law enforcement said Cooper's remains were found about 1.5 miles downstream from where he was last seen. Law enforcement said an autopsy will be performed in Billings and results will be available in several weeks.

The circumstances of Cooper's death remain unknown. The FBI is also participating in the investigation.

Cooper, a citizen of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes, grew up on the Fort Peck reservation and attended Poplar High School. He then worked in construction.

His sister Holly Cooper said her brother was “the baby of the family”. She described him as “a great kid with a lot of potential.”

Native Americans are disappearing and being killed at a disproportionate rate, and experts say Montana is an epicenter. While indigenous people make up 6.7% of Montana's population, they account for an average of 26% of active missing persons cases in the state.