On Saturday July 15th, 2023, shortly after 9 A.M, Park County’s dispatch received a call of a vehicle that had been parked in the area of Newton Lakes for three days. Inside the vehicle appeared to have keys and valuables inside.
The investigation revealed that the vehicle belonged to a male from Montana that had been reported missing by his family.
John Richard Borninkhof, age 54, was reported missing on July 12th and the Laurel, Montana Police Department had issued a missing persons bulletin for the region.
This led to a two-day ground search of the area.
COURTESY PHOTO
The Park County Search and Rescue worked diligently to search the surrounding area for the owner of the vehicle and were assisted by Big Horn County Search and Rescue, Guardian Flight, Bureau of Rec, BLM, Park County CERT, Game and Fish, Western Montana Search Dogs, Absaroka Search Dogs, Park County Pedalers utilizing donated E-Bikes from Joyvagen Cycles, multiple public volunteer horseback riders and the Shoshone Trails Coalition using off road motorcycles.
Drone teams from Park County and Big Horn County Search and Rescue overflew the area multiple times searching for the missing man. The Park County Shooting Complex also voluntarily closed the adjacent ranges for the searcher’s safety.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office logged 57 volunteers who assisted on this search but unfortunately, they have not been able to locate the missing man.
The vehicle was returned to family and the Laurel Police Department was updated on the search efforts for their investigation.
If you have any information regarding John Borninkhof, please call the Laurel Police Department 406-628-8737.
