North Dakota
Three boys found a T. rex fossil in North Dakota. Now a Denver museum works to fully reveal it.
Two young brothers and their cousin were wandering through a fossil-rich stretch of the North Dakota badlands when they made a discovery that left them “completely speechless”: a T. rex bone poking out of the ground.
The trio announced their discovery publicly Monday at a Zoom news conference as workers at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science prepare to begin chipping the fossil out of its rock cast at a special exhibit called Discovering Teen Rex. The exhibit’s opening on June 21 will coincide with the debut of the film “T.REX,” about the July 2022 find.
It all started when Kaiden Madsen, then 9, joined his cousins, Liam and Jessin Fisher, then 7 and 10, on a hike through a stretch of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management around Marmarth, North Dakota. Hiking is a favorite pastime of the brothers’ father, Sam Fisher.
“You just never know what you are going to find out there. You see all kinds of cool rocks and plants and wildlife,” he said.
Liam Fisher recalled that he and his dad, who accompanied the trio, first spotted the bone of the young carnivore. After its death around 67 million years ago, it was entombed in the Hell Creek Formation, a popular paleontology playground that spans Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. The formation has yielded some of the most well-preserved T. rex fossils ever. Among them is Sue, a popular attraction at the Field Museum in Chicago, and Wyrex, a star at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
But none of them knew that then. Liam said he thought the bone sticking out of the rock was something he described as “chunk-osaurus” — a made-up name for fragments of fossil too small to be identifiable.
Still, Sam Fisher snapped a picture and shared it with a family friend, Tyler Lyson, the associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Initially, Lyson suspected it was a relatively common duckbill dinosaur. But he organized an excavation that began last summer, adding the boys and a sister, Emalynn Fisher, now 14, to the team.
It didn’t take long to determine they had found something more special. Lyson recalled that he started digging with Jessin where he thought he might find a neck bone.
“Instead of finding a cervical vertebrae, we found the lower jaw with several teeth sticking out of it,” Lyson said. “And it doesn’t get any more diagnostic than that, seeing these giant tyrannosaurus teeth starring back at you.”
A documentary crew with Giant Screen Films was there to capture the discovery.
“It was electric. You got goosebumps,” recalled Dave Clark, who was part of the crew filming the documentary that later was narrated by Jurassic Park actor Sir Sam Neill.
Liam said his friends were dubious. “They did not believe me at all,” he said.
He, Jessin and Kaiden — who the brothers consider to be another sibling — affectionately dubbed the fossil “The Brothers.”
Based on the size of the tibia, experts estimate the dino was 13 to 15 years old when it died and likely weighed around 3,500 pounds (1,587.57 kilograms) — about two-thirds of the size of a full-grown adult.
Ultimately, a Black Hawk helicopter airlifted the plaster-clad mass to a waiting truck to drive it to the Denver museum.
Lyson said more than 100 individual T. rex fossils have been unearthed, but many are fragmentary. It is unclear yet how complete this fossil is. So far, they know they have found a leg, hip, pelvis, a couple of tailbones and a good chunk of the skull, Lyson said.
The public will get to watch crews chip away the rock, which the museum estimates will take about a year.
“We wanted to share the preparation of this fossil with the public because it is a remarkable feeling,” Lyson said.
Jessin, a fan of the Jurassic Park movies and an aspiring paleontologist, has continued looking for fossils, finding a turtle shell just a couple days ago.
For other kids, he had this advice: “Just to put down their electronics and go out hiking.”
This story has been updated to correct the name of the Denver exhibit that is chipping away at the rock encasing the T. rex fossil. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science confirmed the exhibit is called Discovering Teen Rex, not Teen Rex Prep Lab.
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March 31, 1957 – June 5, 2026
Timothy Paul Ganyo, 69, passed away on Friday, June 5, 2026, after a courageous six-and-a-half-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer.
Tim was born on March 31, 1957, in Grafton, North Dakota, to Willard Paul and Marlene Frances Ganyo. He grew up in Grafton, where he attended school and was active in both hockey and football. During his high school years, he also worked as a lifeguard at the local swimming pool.
Tim proudly served his country for more than three decades. He enlisted in the United States Air Force on December 4, 1977, and served until 1981, with an assignment at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.
Following his active-duty service, he joined the Air National Guard while attending North Dakota State University. Later, seeking a new opportunity, Tim joined the Air Force Reserve and relocated to Northern California, where he served at Travis Air Force Base as a flight engineer aboard the C-5 aircraft.
Throughout his distinguished military career, Tim was activated numerous times and served in support of multiple military operations around the world, often flying into war zones. He treasured the friendships he made with his fellow airmen and took great pride in serving alongside the members of the 312th. Tim retired from the United States Air Force Reserve on June 1, 2010.
Committed to lifelong learning, Tim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology in August 2003. Following his military retirement, he worked in the laboratory at Shell Oil Company in Martinez, California.
Tim spent more than 40 years in Northern California, where he met his wife, Roxanne. They shared 34 wonderful years of marriage. He was a devoted husband, a supportive stepdad, and a loving grandpa who cherished time spent with his family.
Tim was a passionate fan of University of North Dakota hockey and proudly remained loyal to the Fighting Sioux throughout his life. He was also a member of the Solano Yacht Club and enjoyed the friendships and camaraderie he found there.
Tim is survived by his mother, Marlene Dvorak; his beloved wife, Roxanne Ganyo; his stepchildren, Ryan Brown, Chad (Tonya) Brown, Jaime Wolf (Dave), and Kristy Brown (Devin); his grandchildren, Calleigh Brown, Jaxon Brown, Taya Wolf, and Jordyn Brown; his brothers, Mark (Rhonda) Ganyo and Michael Ganyo; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Willard Paul Ganyo; and his brothers, Ray Ganyo and Philip Ganyo. Tim will be remembered for his strength, dedication, patriotism, sense of adventure, and unwavering love for his family and friends. His presence will be deeply missed and forever cherished by all who knew him.
Family and friends are invited to attend a funeral service on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home Chapel, 1850 West Texas Street, Fairfield, CA
A ceremony with military honors will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California, where Tim will be laid to rest.
GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks man is working to overturn his conviction for killing his friend.
Donald Bartlette’s attorney, Kiara Costa Kraus-Parr, wants the North Dakota Supreme Court to declare a mistrial when he was found guilty of manslaughter in the October 2024 death of Tony Kiehl.
During a hearing Monday, June 22, Costa Kraus-Parr said prosecutors unfairly made jurors biased against Bartlette at trial in August of last year.
That includes referencing past drug use and testimony from a witness who called Bartlette a bully.
That testimony was objected to, and the objection was sustained.
Bartlette was found guilty of manslaughter and was later sentenced in December to 10 years in prison.
Bartlette, 46, maintains Kiehl, 49, came at him with a knife and he acted in self-defense.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
Funeral Mass for Delia “Dee” Sianghio, 91, of Dickinson, will be 10:00 am, Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Dickinson, with Father Ryan Martire celebrating. Burial will follow at St. Wenceslaus Cemetery.
Visitation for Dee will be 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Monday, June 22, 2026 at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson, with rosary and vigil taking place at 6:00 pm. Dee passed away Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at her home. Delia was born on September 5, 1934 in Zambales, Philippines to Dr. Aqualino and Solita (Ortin) Edaño. The eldest of 5 children, Delia graduated college in 1958 from University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Delia met Dr. Gregorio L. Sianghio and married in 1960, having 3 children, Leyden, Homer and Lourdes. The family embarked on a great adventure and emigrated to the United States in 1971, ultimately settling in Dickinson, ND, where Dr. Gregorio practiced in Anesthesiology at St. Joseph Hospital. Much to Delia’s dismay, she experienced extreme cold, blizzards, and having to travel to West Fargo, ND for authentic Philippine ingredients for traditional food. Delia was an avid reader, history buff, and enjoyed crocheting and knitting. After her husband died in 1985, she became an active volunteer at St. Luke’s Nursing Home in Dickinson and enjoyed exercising to step-aerobics. Delia is survived by daughter Dr. Leyden Sianghio-Reamer (Joe Reamer), Boerne, TX; son Homer Siañghio (Cindy M. Steiner-Siañghio), Kent, WA; and daughter Lourdes E. Sianghio, TX/ND; 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Delia is preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Aqualino and Solita Edaño of Zambales, Philippines; husband Dr. Gregorio Sianghio of Dickinson, ND; sisters Aqualina and Susan; and brothers Aqualino Jr. and Lino, all from Zambales, Philippines. Remembrances and condolences can be shared at www.stevensonfuneralhome.com.
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