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On May 10, 2025, at approximately 2:17 p.m., U.S. Forest Service employees reported to 911 that they had located a capsized canoe on Iron Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area north of Ely.
Crooked Lake flows into Iron Lake via Curtain Falls, a site of drownings in the past. In the spring, water levels are higher, leading to a more powerful current.
Upon investigating further, the USFS employees located a deceased individual and their gear floating near the canoe.
The deceased was wearing a life jacket.
It is believed that the individual was on a solo canoe trip into the BWCA.
The USFS Beaver floatplane was flown in to recover the body.
The identity of the victim is being held, pending notification of their family.
The incident remains under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.
