The death of Molt man last Thursday has been determined to have been a homicide.
The Stillwater County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the Montana Department of Justice, Division of Crimial Investigation, has confirmed that the victim, Michael Blattie, 33, died from a gunshot wound.
DCI Investigations Bureau Chief John Strandell released this statement Thursday morning stating, "While investigators from both Stillwater County and the state are continuing to actively investigate this homicide, at this point we can confirm that the victim died from a gunshot wound."
At this point no one is in custody.
Strandell says they are following up on leads and gathering information from people who knew Blattie.
Authorities have no suspects at this time.
(from October 19, 2009)
Stillwater County authorities have completed an autopsy of Molt man who was found dead inside his home on Thursday night.
Sheriff Cliff Brophy says no specific details about 33-year old Michael Blattie's death will be released until certain medical test results are known.
Blattie was found dead in his home at 2180 Molt-Rapelje Road just after 5-30 Thursday evening. No one is in custody at this time and authorities are still calling the incident a suspicious death.
(from October 16, 2009)
The Stillwater County Sheriff's Office releases the name of a Molt man found dead Thursday evening.
Michael Blattie, 33, was discovered at a home off the Molt-Rapelje Road. Authorities are still combing the scene, searching for clues into what they're calling a "suspicious death."
Just After 5:30 Thursday evening, Stillwater County Authorities responded to a medical emergency call at 2180 Molt-Rapelje Road. Sheriff's deputies arrived at the home and found the body of Blattie inside.
The Stillwater County Sheriff's Office has not released specifics about how Blattie died, and are still calling the incident a suspicious death.
"The Stillwater County Sheriff's Office along with the state criminal investigators are still on scene, are still interviewing people. We are still in the initial stages of the investigation," said Stillwater County Sheriff Cliff Brohpy.
Sheriff Brohpy would not comment on cause of death or if foul play is suspected, but tells us a firearm may be involved.
"We want to be careful about the labels we put on that. We want to be careful and prudent in our investigation. We still have a lot more work to do with this," he said.
Officials plan on wrapping up the initial investigation in a few days. Until then, detailed information about this suspicious death will remain confidential.
Authorities in Stillwater County are investigating the suspicious death of a man at home near Molt.
The incident happened at home off Molt-Rapelje Road, and Stillwater County Sheriff Cliff Brohpy tells us that officers were called to the scene just after 5:30 Thursday evening for a medical emergency.
Authorities are not releasing specific details at this time, but we're told a firearm may be involved. No one has been taken into custody at this time, and the name of the victim has not been released.
Stillwater County and the state Department of Criminal Investigations is investigating the incident.
