Body found near Shannon Flats believed to be that of missing Troy man

Authorities believe they have recovered the body of a Troy man missing since last summer.

Daniel Lee Dolan, 41, was last seen in June 2020 and efforts to locate him had proved futile until last week. According to a press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a report of an abandoned vehicle in the Shannon Flats area near state Highway 56 on April 3.

The individual who tipped off authorities to the pickup believed it was connected to Dolan’s case, officials said.

Investigators determined the truck had been left sitting for an extended period of time, officials said. A search of the nearby grounds uncovered little else.

But authorities returned, this time with help from David Thompson Search and Rescue, on April 4. A wider search involving dogs was launched, though it too proved unsuccessful.

An even more expansive search undertaken on April 5 uncovered the body. Authorities transported the body to the Montana State Crime Lab for identification and investigation, according to the release.

A cause of the death remains unknown, officials said. Dolan’s disappearance and subsequent death are still under investigation.