Three family members discovered dead in river after going missing, Minnesota cops say
UPDATE: Three family members who went missing in a Minnesota river drowned, authorities say.
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office said three bodies were discovered around 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 5.
One of the victims, who was fishing from the shore of the Vermillion River where it enters the Mississippi River, went into the water around 7:30 p.m. Monday when he saw three of his relatives struggling in the water. He rescued one of the swimmers and went back in the water, but he and the other two swimmers did not resurface, the sheriff said.
The relatives are all from the same household in Oakdale, Minnesota. They were at the river for a family gathering, according to the sheriff.
Authorities said none of the victims were wearing life jackets. They were swimming in water that was 3 feet deep, but the depth nearby “dropped sharply” to 8 or 9 feet, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said the victims are two adult men and one girl. They have not been publicly identified.
The original story is below.
A search continued on the Fourth of July for three people who went missing along the Mississippi River in Minnesota, cops say.
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, for a report of three swimmers in the water north of Red Wing.
Two of the victims were swimming at the mouth of the Vermillion River when they began struggling, according to the sheriff. A third person went in the water to help them, but none of the three resurfaced, the sheriff said.
First responders searched the river Monday night and resumed the search Tuesday, according to the sheriff. Divers and sonar are being used in the search.
The three remain unaccounted for as of early Tuesday afternoon.
Red Wing is about 55 miles southeast of Minneapolis.
This story was originally published July 4, 2023 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Three family members discovered dead in river after going missing, Minnesota cops say."