The body of a missing 39-year-old Stearns County man was found Thursday in the Watab River, days after he allegedly fled authorities on foot following a traffic stop.
Michael Allen Henry, of Richmond, Minn., had been stopped by police just west of St. Joseph for an "equipment violation" April 28, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
That's when Henry took off on foot, heading west, authorities say. Sheriff's deputies and several police agencies set up a perimeter and used a drone to try and find him but came up empty.
Henry's father reported him missing Wednesday, and deputies resumed their search, again using a drone and then sending in a bloodhound to track his scent.
A deputy found Henry's body submerged in the Watab River Thursday afternoon, about a quarter of a mile from where police first stopped his car days before, according to Sheriff Don Gudmundson.
Investigators say it appears that Henry's body had been in the river for some time, with water temperatures hovering around 50 degrees.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet officially determined the cause of death.
