Search continues for missing Mineral County woman

The search continues for a Mineral County woman who disappeared last week.

According to county Sheriff Mike Toth, 33-year-old Rebekah Barsotti and her dog haven’t been seen since the afternoon of Tuesday, July 20.

“She was last seen at Town Pump in Superior around 2:15 p.m. on the 20th of July,” Toth wrote in a social media post.

Toth said Barsotti’s vehicle and some personal items along with items that she had her dog with her, were all found at milemarker 71 on Interstate 90 by the Clark Fork River near Alberton.”

Toth said if anyone has any information to contact Mineral County Dispatch at 406-822-3555.

Last Saturday, Toth provided an update on the search.

“I reached out Wednesday morning to Two Bear Air out of Flathead County to help us search the Clark Fork River from Superior to where we believe she possibly went into the water,” Toth wrote. “They took a deputy up with them because I want one of my deputies on every part of the search.

“Mineral County Search and Rescue also was out with another deputy at the scene. Then on Thursday, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office SCUBA team, along with their SAR boat crew and Frenchtown Fire searched.”

Toth said he was at the scene of where she was last seen with searchers all day and into early evening Thursday. Toth wrote that dogs trained to smell for people in the water were also brought in to help with the search.

Friday, Toth got help from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and its SCUBA team.

“They are highly trained at high risk river rescue and recovery. They came down today (Friday) and did an extensive search of the river in and around the last known location of Rebekah,” Toth wrote. “A Mineral County deputy and our SAR team assisted in that search along with Frenchtown Fire.”

Toth said he also requested detectives from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office begin a land-based investigation in case Barsoitti is not found in the river.

‘We have met and spoken with her family and they have been briefed on everything we are doing to try and locate Rebekah,” Toth wrote.

Toth said if search efforts failed over the weekend, the Flathead County SCUBA team would return on Monday and finish the very last couple places they think she could be.

“Please understand we are taking this very serious and the deputies are all working long hours plus also trying to answer their normal calls,” Toth wrote. “We are a small department but we all love this community and when one goes missing my department and our SAR team will do everything we can to bring Rebekah home.”