CROSBY-The Crow Wing County Dive Team called off its search for a missing child Friday night, July 20, due to hazardous underwater conditions.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office reported it intended to resume its search for the child, identified as a 13-year-old boy, at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Responders were first called to the report of the missing boy at 7:33 p.m.
According to the sheriff's office, the boy, his father and another family member were wading in the water near the point where Serpent Creek runs into Armour No. 2 mine pit lake. The family was from out of town, according to officials, and was renting cabins near the lake. The boy waded farther out near a steep drop-off close to shore, according to the witnesses, and was seen going under the water. The boy did not resurface, the sheriff's office reported, and the current in the water was a suspected factor.
Boats and the dive team took to the water while the county's rescue drone and a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter searched from the sky. The uneven and hazardous terrain beneath the water's surface prompted officials to call off the search at nightfall.
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The sheriff's office will start off the search operation Saturday morning with the county's drone team in an attempt to locate the boy before boats churn up the water. Depending on water clarity, the drone makes it possible for operators to see several feet underwater. During a previous search operation, the drone helped responders see 7 feet below the water's surface from above.
Also responding to the scene were the Deerwood and Crosby police departments, the Crosby Fire Department and the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Ambulance.
