2nd Amendment Chat Room · SUSPECT ARRESTED
EUREKA, MONTANA, USA — Deputy Ryan Terpsma, 28, and a Woman Shot Dead; Suspect Fled With a 7-Year-Old Girl Before Surren
Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Terpsma, 28, was shot and killed on Friday night, October 30, 2026, in Eureka, Montana. He and a Eureka police officer had gone to a home on Lone Pine Trail at 8:23 p.m. after a call about a disturbance. The Eureka officer was also shot, but his injuries are not life-threatening. Police say the suspect, Matthew David Dye, 50, of Kalispell, drove away with a 7-year-old girl. Flathead County deputies chased him on U.S. Highway 93. Police say he shot at them and disabled two patrol cars. He stopped and gave himself up at a roadblock, and the girl was found unharmed. Investigators later found a woman, Merrisa Walker, 46, shot dead at the home. Another girl was hurt and was treated at the scene.
- Date
- October 30, 2026
- Location
- 118 Lone Pine Trail, Eureka, Lincoln County
- Victims
- Deputy Ryan Terpsma, 28, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office (killed); Merrisa Walker, 46 (killed); a Eureka police officer (shot, injuries not life-threatening); a girl (hurt, treated at the scene)
- Suspect
- Matthew David Dye, 50, of Kalispell, Montana (died in custody)
- Stage
- SUSPECT ARRESTED
Last updated:
Evidence
Timeline
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CORRECTION What changed: Suspect status corrected from (in custody) to (died in custody)
NEW SUSPECT ARRESTED
Update #6 — Correction: Suspect status corrected from (in custody) to (died in custody)
Correction: Suspect status corrected from (in custody) to (died in custody)
Suspect status corrected from (in custody) to (died in custody) -
SUSPECT ARRESTED
Update #5 — Suspect Matthew Dye dies in custody after medical emergency
Matthew D. Dye, 50, the man charged over the shooting death of Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma, has died in custody. The Missoula County Sheriff's Office announced on Thursday, November 5 that detention officers found Dye appearing to suffer a medical emergency in his cell at the Missoula County Detention Facility on the evening of Wednesday, November 4. He became unresponsive in the ambulance on the way to hospital and was pronounced dead at St. Patrick's Hospital. The Missoula Police Department is investigating the in-custody death, and Lake County deputy coroners are handling coroner duties. We are following this case and will update it again as soon as new information comes. -
SUSPECT ARRESTED
Update #4 — Dye appears in Lincoln County court and is held without bond
Matthew David Dye made his first court appearance in Lincoln County on Monday, November 2, and the judge ordered him held without bond. Dozens of law enforcement officers filled the courtroom in support of Deputy Ryan Terpsma, 28, who was shot dead on Friday night, October 30, while responding to a disturbance call at a home on Lone Pine Trail near Eureka. Merrisa Walker, 46, was also killed at the home. Dye, 50, of Kalispell, is booked on charges including deliberate homicide and attempted homicide.
We are following this case and will update it again as soon as new information comes. -
SUSPECT ARRESTED
Update #3 — Suspect Now Booked on Four Charges; Court Date Listed for Nov. 2
Jail records now list four serious charges against Dye: deliberate homicide (Montana's term for murder), attempted homicide (trying to kill someone), aggravated eluding a peace officer (fleeing police in a dangerous way), and criminal endangerment (putting other people at serious risk). The Flathead County jail list shows his court date as November 2. -
SUSPECT ARRESTED
Update #2 — What Happened and How the Suspect Was Caught
Who Deputy Terpsma was: Ryan Terpsma worked as a jail officer for the Flathead County Sheriff's Office from December 2024 until May 2026, when he became a deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. He had been a deputy for about five months when he was killed.
How the suspect was caught: Flathead County deputies spotted Dye's vehicle heading south toward Kalispell. During the chase, deputies say he shot at them, and they fired back. Dye stopped and surrendered at a roadblock at Bill Creek Road and Mountain Meadow Road. The deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on leave, which is standard policy after a shooting.
The community's grief: Sheriff Short said: "We are all deeply affected by the loss of Deputy Terpsma but know we can count on our community to support the Sheriff's Office and each other as we grieve the loss of this fine young man." Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said Terpsma "made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his community. He will not be forgotten." Governor Greg Gianforte said he and his wife are praying for the deputy's family and friends.
What is not known yet: Police have not said what the disturbance was about, how Dye knew Merrisa Walker or the two girls, or why he took the 7-year-old with him.
What happens next: Formal charges are expected next week, followed by Dye's first court hearing in Lincoln County Justice Court. -
Image from MTN News coverage of the killing of Deputy Ryan Terpsma; right, the booking photo of suspect Matthew David Dye. Photo: MTN News (KPAX) SUSPECT ARRESTED
Update #1 — Suspect Held on a Homicide Warrant; Charges Expected Next Week
Matthew David Dye is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a pending deliberate homicide warrant. Deliberate homicide is Montana's legal term for murder. Sheriff Darren Short says formal charges will be filed next week, when Dye will also make his first appearance in Lincoln County Justice Court. The Montana Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, the state's top police investigators, is leading the case.
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