Body recovered from Stutsman County lake Sunday

Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser confirms to WZFG News that the body of a 60-year-old male from Medina has been recovered from a lake in Stutsman County.

Kaiser says the sheriff'soffice received a call at 3:24 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in regards to a missing man. Deputies went out to the location where his utility vehicle was found on the ice, four miles east of Medina.

The deputies searched for the man with their remote-operated vehicle Saturday night until dark. Kaiser says that, in order to use the remote-operated vehicle, a hole was needed to be cut into the ice. He says ice, in that area, was about four to six inches, whereas a few feet away, the ice had a thickness of approximately one inch.

Kaiser says the 60-year-old man did a lot of ice fishing, so it was not uncommon to see his utility vehicle on the ice. A passerby noticed the vehicle, with its lights on, Monday night, but did not think anything about it.

The body was recovered Sunday morning at 10:40 a.m. from the lake.

The identity of the individual is being withheld, pending notification of family members.

Kaiser advises those who wish to fish on the lake should wait for colder temperatures, so the ice can thicken more. He says it is not at a safe thickness right now, due to warmer temperatures.