White Pickup Truck Stalks Women on Montana Highways, Sparking Fear
A series of alarming incidents involving a mysterious white pickup truck stalking women along Montana's remote highways has triggered widespread concern and an ongoing investigation. The pattern of harassment, reported by multiple victims, highlights the vulnerabilities faced by drivers in isolated rural areas with limited cell service.
A Terrifying Encounter on Highway 191
Lizette Lamb, 48, experienced a harrowing ordeal on April 10 while driving from Roundup to Glasgow along Highway 191. She first noticed the suspicious vehicle, a white Ford pickup truck lacking a front license plate, when she stopped at The Ole' Mercantile Conoco station in Grass Range around 7 p.m. The sight immediately unsettled her.
"It kind of gave her the heebie-jeebies," her husband, Travis, recounted to Cowboy State Daily, noting Lizette's background working in a prison had honed her instincts. Shortly after resuming her journey, she spotted the same truck tailgating her aggressively, even as she accelerated to approximately 85 mph.
"I noticed that they were pulling too close to me, to my bumper, and at that moment, I just felt very uneasy," Lizette told KTVQ. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness, I'm going really fast and they're almost tailgating me.' At that moment, I was like, my life is in danger."
The situation escalated near a hill where the driver attempted to squeeze alongside her and force her off the road. Lizette managed to evade the maneuver by speeding up, but then observed two men inside the truck, which had dark-tinted windows. With poor cell service preventing a 911 call, she displayed her pistol, prompting the truck to make a swift U-turn and flee.
"That's when all that became to me a reality, like it's something I think today, this moment, I might end up having to use my gun because it's my life," she said. "It's either them or me, and I choose me."
Multiple Reports Emerge, Revealing a Disturbing Pattern
After Travis reported the incident to the Phillips County Sheriff's Office, dispatchers confirmed receiving similar calls in the past. He later shared the experience on Facebook to warn others, which unexpectedly prompted 36 accounts from women describing comparable encounters in the same area.
The reports consistently describe a white pickup, often a Ford, sometimes with out-of-state plates, tailgating women on isolated two-lane highways after dark. Holly Pierce of Columbia Falls recounted a December 2024 incident on Highway 87 near Roundup, where a truck brake-checked her and her friend before stopping in the roadway and racing alongside her at over 100 mph.
"It scares me to think what would happen if I would have stopped and said 'Do you need help?'" Pierce said. "It was so crazy and I think about what happens to the women who haven't gotten away."
Penny Ronning, cofounder of the Yellowstone Human Trafficking Task Force and a former Democratic congressional candidate, reported a 2022 incident on back roads from Billings to Havre, where a four-door white pickup with blacked-out windows followed her. "That was what made it frightening. It was that I was followed," she said.
Joni Hartford of Lewistown shared an eerily similar story from her drive north on Highway 87 after dropping off belongings to her son in Billings. A large Ford pickup tailgated her closely, prompting her to call her husband for help. She eventually escaped by darting around an Amish buggy on a blind hill and speeding away at 90 mph.
"It's the same exact situation," Hartford exclaimed. "I can't say for certain it was the same person, but it sure seems like the same person. They're targeting [women] at gas stations. That's the only place they could have found me because it's the only place I've stopped."
Investigation Underway Amidst Speculation and Warnings
Fergus County investigators are now reviewing surveillance footage from The Ole' Mercantile gas station, which is equipped with a top-of-the-line 360-degree camera system covering the property and Highway 87 frontage. Owner Krista Manley, who holds a PhD in cognitive psychology, is assisting by examining the footage, though no sign of the truck has been found yet.
"My default is to absolutely believe women and she [Lizette] was, she was rattled," Manley said. "We're absolutely not arguing the authenticity of the report in any way, shape or form. In my previous life before I had the store, I actually was a memory and cognition researcher. I understand how stress impacts memory."
While victims suspect sinister motives, Ronning cautioned against assuming human trafficking, explaining that such incidents do not necessarily meet the legal definition. The lack of cell service in the area is seen as a factor increasing drivers' vulnerability.
Travis Lamb expressed hope that public awareness might lead to identification of the truck. "I'm hoping somebody's like 'I know that pickup.' That's what I'm praying for," he said, emphasizing the need for vigilance in a changing Montana. "I did it for the aspect of just making people aware that 'Hey, you know it's not the Montana that we all grew up in.' It's changed and we have to change along with it or we're going to be victims of it."
