Police have identified two anglers who drowned in Upper Red Lake after their all-terrain vehicle broke through the ice last weekend.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office identified the victims as Melissa Marie Seidenstricker, 30, of Princeton, Minn.; and Zeth Grey Knyphausen, 29, of Stacy, Minn.
According to Sheriff Phil Hodapp, the two had rented a sleeper fish house from Rogers Resort through noon on Sunday. The resort is about 60 miles north of Bemidji.
The two, reported to have been seen at the resort on Friday evening and during the day Saturday, didn't return to the resort and their vehicle was found still parked there. Local authorities mounted a search, and the Minnesota State Patrol searched the area with an aircraft equipped with thermal imaging.
A hole in the ice was found Monday, and police used sonar to locate the ATV under the water. Items found at the scene led rescuers to believe the missing people were in the water, and their bodies were recovered about 3 p.m. Monday.
Poor ice conditions were a hindrance to the recovery efforts, the sheriff noted.
"Ice is never perfectly safe," Hodapp said in a statement. "Anglers are asked to check with the local resorts on the current ice conditions and open water, and report in with the resorts on where they will be fishing and check in with them often."
John Reinan • 612-673-7402
