Thomas Mylon “Tom” Gronewold was 19 years old when he was last seen in the Libby, Montana area on August 7, 1966. NamUs lists him as Missing Person / NamUs #MP82175, with his last known contact recorded in Libby, Montana, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office identified as the investigating agency. The case information describes Tom as a young White/Caucasian man with blond or strawberry-colored hair and blue eyes.
Before he disappeared, Tom had been working a summer job with the Forest Service in Troy, Montana. A memorial entry for him notes that he attended Carthage High School, where he participated in football, baseball, chorus, and student council, and that he graduated in 1965 before attending Northeast Missouri State College for a year. After that year of college, he went to Montana for the summer Forest Service position, placing him near Troy and Libby in Lincoln County during the summer of 1966.
The circumstances described in the public case record indicate that Tom and two friends from the ranger station were floating on inner tubes on the Kootenai River between Troy and Libby when they encountered rough water. Tom was flipped out of his inner tube, and the others were unable to reach him. He was reportedly seen coming to the surface twice before he disappeared. Searches were conducted in the area, but he was not located.
Tom’s physical description includes a listed height range of 5 feet 1 inch to 5 feet 10 inches and a weight range of 185 to 198 pounds. The case record notes that he had short blond or strawberry-colored hair, blue eyes, no beard or mustache, and very light body hair due to sun exposure. A distinctive identifying feature was also recorded: the ends of the little finger and ring finger on his left hand were shorter because of a farm accident. He may have been wearing swim trunks or denim cutoffs when he disappeared.
The Kootenai River is a major river corridor in northwestern Montana, and modern local sources describe it as a place used for recreation while also emphasizing the importance of safety information for people using the waterway. The area between Troy and Libby includes powerful river conditions, and the public account of Tom’s disappearance centers on a sudden encounter with rough water during what had begun as a recreational outing with friends.
Tom’s case remains publicly listed in NamUs and in Montana missing-person resources so that identifying information remains available to law enforcement, families, and the public. The Montana Department of Justice explains that its Missing Persons Clearinghouse supports law enforcement entries in state and national databases, helps identify missing and unidentified persons, and provides general information to the public about missing persons in Montana.
The available sources remember Tom not only through the circumstances of his disappearance, but also as a young man with a life, family, school community, and future ahead of him. He was a recent high school graduate, a college student, an athlete, a student leader, and a summer Forest Service worker when he was lost in the Kootenai River. His story remains one of sudden tragedy, enduring absence, and the continued hope that public records may help preserve his memory and support answers for those who still care about him.Last Seen: Aug 7, 1966
