The National Park Service said a body was recovered in Theodore Roosevelt National Park on Sunday, following the search for 37-year-old Artoun Gostantian. His family reported him missing on July 20, and the park said it is not releasing any other information about the recovery.
Artoun Gostantian and the search
Badlands Search and Rescue Service said it was still looking for signs of Gostantian before the recovery update. Search teams had covered nearly 64 miles by foot and 21 miles by vehicle, and had spent 121 hours in the effort.
The search centered on Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North Unit after Gostantian’s car was found there. Badlands Search and Rescue Service said people searching were working in extreme heat, adding to the pace and difficulty of the operation.
Family notice and park update
Gostantian’s family said they had not been notified that the body found was his. That leaves the recovery update ahead of the family’s own identification notice, while the park has declined to add details about how the body was found.
Anyone with information was encouraged to call the Mountrail County Sheriff’s Office at 701-628-2975. The update changes the search from a missing-person effort to a recovery case, but the identification question remains the piece the family said they had not yet received.
