Skip to content

Coroner says hunter’s demise a tragic accident

Tracy De Montezuma's body found Oct. 4 in vicinity of his truck east of Lake Country.

The search for Tracy De Montezuma, the 52 year old Lake Country resident who went missing Sept. 29 after he departed for an evening hunting trip, ended at approximately 3:30 p.m on Thursday, Oct. 4.

The coroner has found that his death was accidental.

Mr. De Montezuma's remains were located by Search and Rescue a short distance from where he had left his vehicle in the general vicinity of Wilma Lake.

“He took his rifle and was scouting the area for hunting with some friends,” said Barb McLintock, with the B.C. Coroners Service.

“It looks like he was trying to get over some windfall (dead trees) when the gun accidentally went off.”

De Montezuma was wounded in the torso.

“We are still in the preliminary stage of the investigation,” said McLintock.

A five-day search for De Montezuma involved nine search crews from across the Interior, including Vernon.