Missing man found alive in Red Wing

Star Tribune

Last update: August 31, 2009 - 7:43 PM

Authorities searching a swampy area of the Mississippi River bottoms in Red Wing, Minn., on Monday found a man who had disappeared a night earlier.

Jason Eric Garlitch was found about 5 p.m. by two friends aiding in the search, Red Wing police said. Garlitch was disoriented, incoherent, wet, scratched and covered with bug bites, but had no significant injuries, authorities said.

An ambulance took Garlitch, 34, to Fairview Red Wing Medical Center to be checked.

He was described as "depressed and upset" when he left his home Sunday night on a mountain bike. Garlitch's girlfriend called police about 7 p.m. Sunday, alarmed about his mental state after he left their home.

Before being found, he was last seen along the Cannon Valley bicycle trail in Red Wing's Industrial Park area, police said. That area is a tangled lowland area of swamp and woods. He was found about a quarter-mile from the trail, authorities said.

About 120 people took part in the search Sunday and Monday, including K-9 teams the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office mounted posse, and Garlitch's friends and relatives.

VINCE TUSS AND BOB VON STERNBERG