Death of 56-Year-Old Stephen Finley-Zabriskie Found Near Mount Helena Ruled Natural

Deputies who responded after a hiker discovered a deceased man on the west side of Mount Helena have identified him as Stephen Finley-Zabriskie and determined his death was from natural causes. The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the body was located at a makeshift campsite on state land and that the incident, first investigated as “suspicious in nature,” is now closed.

The discovery occurred on October 24, 2025, when deputies were dispatched to the area after the remains were reported. Lieutenant Greg Holmlund told MTN that a hiker found the remains at a makeshift campsite and described the matter at the time as “a developing investigation, but he noted there is no danger to the community.” Due to the site’s remote location, officials warned early on that residents might see a continued law-enforcement presence while the scene was processed.

Sheriff and Coroner Leo Dutton issued the identification and cause-of-death finding in a press release late this month. Sheriff Dutton said the cause of death was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and that the manner of death was natural. “These findings are consistent with established medical indicators and do not suggest the involvement of any external or suspicious factors,” wrote Dutton in the release. The Sheriff’s Office also extended condolences: “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,” the office wrote.

Local outlets reporting the identification noted one variation in name formatting; some published the hyphenated surname Stephen Finley-Zabriskie while others printed the name without a hyphen. KRTV reported that he was 56 years old, citing an obituary for that detail.

For Lewis and Clark County residents, the episode raises routine but important questions about transparency and public information when incidents occur on public lands. The Sheriff’s Office, where the sheriff serves also as coroner, is the authoritative source on cause and manner of death; the office’s public statement closed the investigative chapter by saying no further law-enforcement action was necessary. Copies of the sheriff’s press release and the coroner’s postmortem report would provide additional detail on medical findings, and dispatch logs could clarify how the initial report reached deputies.

While the county’s trail users and outdoor community can take reassurance from the coroner’s finding that no external factors were involved, the case underscores the value of clear public communication from elected offices responsible for safety and death investigations. The Sheriff’s Office statement resolves the immediate public-safety concern, and residents can expect that any additional official records or releases would be posted by county authorities.