Lake County Sheriff reports missing woman
Danette Tenas was last seen Oct. 8 near Buffalo Bridge.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information on a Ronan woman who has been missing since Oct. 8.
According to a press release, the sheriff’s department received a report Oct. 14 that 54-year-old Danette Tenas had not been heard from by friends or family since Oct. 8, 2024. Lake County Sheriff's Office personnel and Tribal Police officers were able to determine that her last confirmed location was in a recreation area near Buffalo Bridge, south of Polson, on Oct. 8.
Tenas had been with friends in that area and became separated from them after their vehicle broke down. Her friends attempted to locate her, but eventually assumed she had gotten a ride from other friends or people who were present in the area.
According to the press release, those who knew Tenas reported that it would not be out of character for her to seek her own way home. She is not known to carry or own a cellphone.
Search efforts have concentrated in the Buffalo Bridge area and have been conducted by Lake County Search and Rescue with help from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as well as Flathead County Search and Rescue.
Tenas was last known to be wearing a denim jacket over a white shirt, denim shorts, and slide-sandals with white soles and sparkly sequin tops. She is approximately 5'8" and 140 lbs. with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
Although she typically lives in Ronan, she is known to be somewhat transient, moving between various locations in the Mission Valley. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 406-883-7301.