Recovery efforts underway for teen missing on Cottonwood County lake

Police car with emergency siren at night. 3D rendered illustration.

Recovery efforts resume today for a teenager who went missing in a Cottonwood County lake Monday.

Just before 7 p.m., the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a 15-year-old boy went missing while canoeing with a family member on Eagle Lake, which is northwest of Mountain Lake in Carson Township.

A press release from Sheriff Jason Purrington says the teen jumped into the lake to retrieve a lost oar. The boy attempted to swim back to the canoe, but the wind pushed the watercraft farther away. The boy tried to swim to shore, but the family member lost sight of him and they drifted even further apart.

Investigators say there were no life jackets in the canoe.

Emergency personnel searched the shoreline and the lake. The search was suspended at 2 a.m., and continued Tuesday at daybreak.

Police and fire from Mountain Lake and Windom assisted at the scene, as well as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Minnesota State Patrol.