Search launched for missing horseback rider — but only her horse and phone have been found

A desperate search for a 27-year-old horseback rider who vanished Friday in Montana has turned up the horse and the woman’s phone — but she remains missing.

Meghan Rouns hasn’t been heard from since she went for an afternoon ride in a recreational area about 90 minutes from Bozeman, authorities said.

As authorities, first responders and volunteers scoured the area, they discovered her phone in a saddle bag and her horse on Saturday, the Lewis and Clark County’s Sheriff’s Office said, according to local outlets.

Because the animal was found on a hill near Hauser Lake, the sheriff’s office focused their search to the body of water and the surrounding area, sheriff’s operation Lt. Willy Wegner told the KTVH.

While her parents did not hear from her after 2 p.m., she took a photo on social media app SnapChat around 4:20 p.m., Sheriff Leo Dutton said, according to KXLH.

She was reported missing by her parents around 8 p.m. on Friday.

Dutton told the US Sun Rouns might have fallen into the water because of gusty winds in the area. Foul play has been ruled out, he noted.

“We believe something happened that spooked the horse to get it into the waters,” he told the outlet. “We just don’t know what yet.”

The sheriff wrote in a Facebook post Monday afternoon local time he was with Rouns’ husband and family, and was focusing their search in a section of the Missouri River.

“Please stay clear of the search area, this includes the water search area. If people try to get there, they will endanger our SCUBA divers,” he wrote. “Please do not interfere with the search.”

As the search moves along, officials have been able to rule out areas where the woman might be.

“Thank you to the citizens who have given their time on foot, horses and other volunteer services,” Dutton wrote.