UPDATE---11/24/20

Missoula County Sheriff and Coroner T.J. McDermott released the identity of the man who was found deceased near the Orange Street Bridge on Friday as 65 year-old Lee R. Nelson of Missoula.

The Missoula City Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into this death as an apparent homicide.

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Missoula police are continuing their investigation into a homicide that occurred on Friday when an elderly man in a wheelchair was assaulted and killed on a trail near the Clark Fork River.

Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh specifically asked for businesses in the area to review their surveillance video.

We're asking businesses in that area along West Broadway or West Front Street east of St. Patrick's hospital to review their video surveillance systems and see if any of them possibly captured a view of our suspect.

“We’ve been able to determine that the person we're considering a suspect was in the company of our victim at one point as we've previously said, and that he left the area up towards Front Street from the riverbank and from there he seemed to disappear,” said Welsh. “So we're asking businesses in that area along West Broadway or West Front Street east of St. Patrick's hospital to review their video surveillance systems and see if any of them possibly captured a view of our suspect.”

Welsh said investigators are also looking for pedestrians who may have been in the area.

“We've also learned that there were several pedestrians on the River Trail or adjacent to the river at the time that this assault appears to have taken place,” he said. “It may be that those folks saw or heard something that didn't occur to them at the time, but in retrospect may be related to this incident and we would like to talk to those people.”

Welsh became more specific about the information that police investigators are seeking.

“We're asking specifically for people who were on the river trails on either the north or south side of the river or in a position where they may have seen something to give us a call and tell us what you saw or heard,” he said. “Detective Guy Baker would really like to speak with those folks. So we'd ask them to call him at his direct number of 552-6284.”

Welsh said the identity of the elderly male victim has not been released by Missoula County Sheriff and Coroner T.J. McDermott.

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