Search Continues For 3 Missing Boaters On Lake Of The Woods

click to expand

BAUDETTE, Minn. (AP) — A search resumed Monday for three missing men on a northern Minnesota lake near the Canadian border, but searchers were finding no trace of the men, a sheriff said.

The search was to continue until around dusk and then resume Tuesday morning, Lake of the Woods County Sheriff Gary Fish said late Monday afternoon. About 15 to 20 law enforcement personnel are involved in the search, which involves about a square mile of water, Fish said.

A fishing guide found the men's capsized boat on Lake of the Woods Saturday afternoon and alerted authorities, Fish said.

The three men from Baudette were last seen leaving Sunset Lodge on Oak Island about 11:30 p.m. Friday, the sheriff said. Three life jackets were recovered from the lake, according to Fish. Oak Island is near the center of the lake at the northeast corner of Minnesota's Northwest Angle, the most northern part of the state.

A search for the men began Saturday evening, continued Sunday and resumed Monday morning. The men are identified as Keith Ryan Ayers, 28, Cody Joseph Ostendorf, 24, and Justin Kelly Haugtvedt, 22.

Fish said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has provided a plane to help in the search.