After three full days of searching, the body of an Alexandria man missing since Thursday, April 6, was found Wednesday morning in Lake Agnes.
The body of Ryan Johnson, 32, was to be transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County to conduct further examination.
Alexandria police blocked off the area around Big Ole Central Park in Alexandria about 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 12.
The area is not far from the steps leading down to Lake Agnes where credit cards and clothing belonging to Johnson were found on Sunday morning.
Johnson’s family reported him missing Saturday.
Johnson had last been seen about 11 p.m. April 6 at Fat Daddy’s Bar and Grill. Police said he told friends that he was going to walk to the Depot Express along the south shore of Lake Agnes.
After his personal belongings were found, a water search of Lake Agnes and Lake Henry by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Water Rescue and Recovery Team began.
While law enforcement believed Johnson had entered the lake, the investigation considered other possibilities.
“We want to thank the public for calling in as you did with all potential leads,” Alexandria Police Chief Rick Wyffels said in a news release. “Also, please remember and respect Ryan’s family in this time of sadness for them all.”
The Water Rescue and Recovery Team faced several challenges in the search for Johnson.
On Lake Agnes, “the water clarity is really poor; that makes diving really difficult,” Sheriff Troy Wolbersen said in an interview before the body was recovered. “Visibility is really limited.”
He said divers could only see 2 or 3 feet in front of them.
He said the team used sonar to search the lake to pick up objects, “then diving specifically to that object.”
He said Lake Agnes had been searched twice with sonar before the body was found Wednesday morning.
The first day of the search was cold, rainy and windy, making conditions more difficult.
The search was expanded to an adjoining lake, Lake Henry, when the initial search area did not produce results.
Searchers also walked the shoreline of the area.
The search was aided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a LifeLink helicopter and students from the Alexandria Technical and Community College law enforcement program.
Johnson’s death is first water-related death in Douglas County in 2017. In 2016, there were three drownings in Douglas County.
