Body of one of two missing BWCA canoeists found

(Updated May 31 at 4:41 p.m.)

The body of a missing canoeist has been found at the BWCA.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said it found 41-year-old Jesse Melvin Haugen. The Cambridge, Minn., man was one of two canoeists missing after four people crossed Curtain Falls near the Canadian border.

In a news release, the department said the search will continue for Reis Melvin Grams of Lino Lakes.

The sheriff's office said weather and water conditions have affected the search and more precipitation will arrive this weekend. A crew of 8 to 12 people on the ground at a base camp uses boats, canoes, drones and K-9 teams.

The search will continue into next week, but no flights to or from are available until Monday.

(May 23, 7:00 p.m.)

Governor Tim Walz has authorized the Minnesota National Guard to support search and rescue operations in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), according to a press release issued Thursday.

On May 18, four people in two canoes were crossing Curtain Falls, near the Canadian border, when two of the Minnesota residents went missing.

“No one expects their vacation to turn into a crisis. Yet when four canoeists crossed Curtain Falls in the BWCA, it became a reality,” said Governor Walz. “My family knows very well the fear and grief these canoeists feel. We pray for those involved and are immensely grateful to everyone from the Sheriff's Office to the National Guard who supports this mission.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told FOX 21 on Thursday that the mission had officially changed from a rescue operation to a recovery.

The Minnesota National Guard will provide a CH-47 (Chinook) helicopter and four crew members for the mission. The crew was asked to provide lifts to transport a boat and additional equipment from Ely Airport to the Curtain Falls area.