On 5th January, Sheriff Jesse Slaughter of Cascade County announced the grim news that Tammy Goff’s body had been located in the Missouri River.

While further details remain pending, Sheriff Slaughter revealed that the body was identified as belonging to Ms. Goff. 

An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of death and provide closure for her family and loved ones. Our thoughts are with Ms. Goff’s family during this difficult time.

Further, the medical examiner ruled that the victim drowned, and they still did not find the cause of his death. As per the Officials’ statement, “Tammy Goff disappeared over three years ago, and her body was identified by them when they discovered it in a pickup truck that was hauled from the Missouri River in the Great Falls last month.” Further, they said, “the cause of Goff’s death was drowning. The method of death was unknown.”

The search party for Desiree Goff’s disappearance in July 2018 focused their search near the river, hoping that she was the answer to previous cold cases. 

After four days of searching, Adventures With Purpose located Goff’s truck submerged in the river near Wilson Butte Road about several miles south of Great Falls. 

Sadly, her body was discovered soon after. This extraordinary find came six days before she was due to celebrate her 60th birthday and 32 hours after her dog had been found heading along the river.

The resolution of these eight previous cold cases wouldn’t have been possible without Goff’s discovery. Authorities wasted no time seeking assistance in their search for Goff, and a group called Adventures with Purpose responded to the call.

After a diligent week-long effort, equipped with better resources, the organization found the truck that had been missing for almost two years. 

Although a body was found at the scene, it was not immediately concluded if it was Goff’s; however, authorities continued to work diligently on finding an answer.

In September 2018, searchers Gene and Sandy Ralston of Kuna, Idaho further helped by discovering a vehicle in the river that ultimately posed not to be related to Goff.

The Ralstons are a family of experienced search and rescue adventurers whose work goes unnoticed until they are called to solve a case.

Since 1983, their tracking skills have been helpful to the police in locating drowning victims that were unexpectedly lost in the ocean or river, typically after all other searches had been unsuccessful.

Over the last two years, their latest venture—a specialized tracking dog named Purpose—has made significant progress toward solving eight long-term missing person cases.

The family’s contribution to law enforcement’s efforts has particularly shined through in the case of Tommy Goff, who disappeared without a trace right before his elderly wife’s eyes.

Although official investigations had since lessened, Bob Goff continued tirelessly searching for his late husband with support from the Ralstons and Purpose, showing great dedication to finding justice for victims like Tom and giving hope to their affected families.

Tammy’s husband’s message after Tammy’s dead body was found by authorities

Tammy’s husband shared his feeling publicly after hearing that authorities found his wife after a lengthy investigation. He shared the following message from his family and himself.

Tammy’s husband, Bob shared the following message from himself and another family member: “We finally found Tammy. After almost three years of searching the river, exploring county roads, and searching everywhere, Tammy was right where her best friend, Sadie, our German Shepard rescue dog, was trying to tell us she was.”

Further, he said, “There is a tremendous sense of relief and deep sadness, knowing that Tammy is forever gone. Our family can now at least lay her to rest and begin to heal. We would like to thank members of the local law enforcement, the local media for helping to get the message out, the many volunteers who donated time and effort, and the landowners who granted access to our searches. We do indeed live in a very caring community. Thank you all very much”.