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Her backpack leaned against a tree, food properly stored in the bear canister, boots placed neatly at the tent entrance, but Rebecca herself was nowhere to be found. The search began within the hour. According to the incident commander’s report, the initial assumption was that Rebecca had suffered an accident while photographing wildlife, possibly falling into the creek or encountering a bear.
Search teams focused on game trails leading from the campsite to known wildlife viewing areas. Dog teams were brought in from Bosezeman, and a helicopter swept the drainage patterns where an injured person might seek shelter. The dogs picked up Rebecca’s scent leading from the tent toward the creek, but lost it at the water’s edge, suggesting she might have crossed or walked in the stream.
By day two of the search, over 40 personnel were involved. According to search and rescue protocols, they established a grid pattern covering five square miles around the campsite. Divers checked deep pools in Slow Creek, where the current could trap a body. Thermal imaging flights ran at dawn and dusk when a heat signature would be most visible.
The search teams noted unusually little wildlife activity in the area. According to one rescuer’s report, even the birds seemed absent, creating an oppressive silence broken only by radio chatter and the sound of searchers calling Rebecca’s name. On June 29th, a searcher found what appeared to be camera lens cap near a game trail half a mile from the campsite.
The cap, confirmed to match Rebecca’s cannon equipment, was the only physical evidence discovered during the 5-day intensive search. It was found at the base of a lodgepole pine, partially buried in pine needles, as if it had been dropped rather than fallen. The area around the tree showed no signs of struggle, no disturbed earth, no torn clothing, nothing to indicate what might have happened there.
The search expanded to include areas where Rebecca might have wandered in a disoriented state. According to wilderness medicine experts consulted by the park service, hypothermia, altitude sickness, or a head injury could cause someone to walk for miles in confusion. Teams checked ridge lines where someone might climb seeking cell service, caves where an injured person might shelter, and avalanche shoots where a fall could leave someone invisible from above.
Each location turned up nothing. On July the 2nd, the active search was scaled back to limited operations. According to park policy, resources had to be balanced against the probability of finding a survivor. Rebecca’s family protested, hiring private search teams who continued for another week. These teams experienced in wilderness tracking noted several anomalies.