HELENA — The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man found deceased in October near Mount Helena and provided the cause of death.
On October 24, 2025, deputies were dispatched to the west side of Mount Helena after a hiker found a deceased male at a makeshift campsite on state land.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff and Coroner Leo Dutton identified the deceased as Stephen Finley-Zabriskie.
The Sheriff’s Office initially investigated the death as “suspicious in nature”, which is not uncommon for this type of situation. Following a comprehensive investigation, the manner of death was determined to be of natural causes.
“These findings are consistent with established medical indicators and do not suggest the involvement of any external or suspicious factors,” wrote Dutton in a press release.
Since the cause of death was determined to be natural, the sheriff’s office concluded no further investigation was necessary.
“We here at the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Zabriskie during this challenging time,” wrote Dutton.
