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Two die in Big Sandy Lake Bodies of Apple Valley man and 8-year-old son found Monday Staff Writer The bodies of a 41-year-old Apple Valley man and his 8-year-old son were recovered Monday morning from Big Sandy Lake, the Aitkin County Sheriff's Department reported.
Earl F. Kyle and his son, Nicholas W. Kyle, were last seen about noon Sunday leaving a cabin on the north end of Big Sandy Lake to go canoeing on the lake. They were reported missing about 6 p.m. Sunday after they failed to return to the cabin, the sheriff's department reported.
Searches were conducted by land, water and air. The bodies were found about 7:45 a.m. Monday after a resident found the 15-foot canoe submerged near his dock. A short distance away, in about four feet of water, authorities found Earl Kyle. Just down the shoreline, they located Nicholas Kyle. Both were wearing lifejackets, the sheriff's department reported.
Kyle was a vice president and senior general counsel at Fridley-based Medtronic. Nicholas was a third-grader at Greenleaf Elementary in Apple Valley.
At Greenleaf Elementary, teachers in each classroom told students about Nicholas' death.
"He was a very sweet little boy," Principal Kevin Samsel said. "He comes from a great family. I was acquainted with his father, too. I was terribly sorry about what happened to both of them. My heart goes out to the family and friends."
Nicholas' aunt, Therese Anderson, said the family believes the canoe capsized in windy conditions, and that they died of hypothermia. Sheriff Scott Turner said it would only be speculation to guess how the father and son ended up in the water. However, he noted that there was a strong west wind Sunday and the water temperature was only 55 degrees.
"When you see a tragedy like this, it underscores how important it is to protect ourselves from going into water," Turner said.
According to the University of Minnesota's Sea Grant Web site, cold water is especially dangerous because loss of body heat occurs 25 times faster in cold water than in cold air. The best defense if someone cannot climb out of the water is to conserve body heat by remaining as still as possible and reducing the amount of your body exposed to the water.
The bodies of the father and son have been taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office for autopsies.
Assisting the Aitkin County Sheriff's Department in the search was the DNR, the State Patrol and McGregor Fire and Ambulance.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
MATT ERICKSON can be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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