Concerns about weather and darkness setting in delayed from one day to the next the search for a Minnesota State Patrol trooper who drowned over the weekend in a South Dakota lake, officials said Wednesday.
Mollie McClure, 33, of St. Joseph, joined the patrol in 2021 and was working in the St. Cloud district at the time of her death, a statement from the patrol read.
In an update from Day County Sheriff Jerred Schreur:
McClure went into the water while boating early Sunday evening with others on Waubay Lake in northeastern South Dakota and was reported missing. An initial search by emergency responders failed to find her.
“With the incoming possibility of severe weather and also the difficulty of resuming the search during nighttime hours, the search was postponed until the early morning hours” on Monday, when her body was found, the sheriff’s update read.
The investigation will continue into why McClure went under, but “no criminal charges have been filed ... and all parties have been cooperative with the investigation,” the update continued.
The State Patrol said in its statement that McClure had “a reputation as a respected trooper, mentor and friend. Her professionalism, compassion and commitment to service left a lasting impact on her colleagues and the community.”
McClure’s contributions on the force included training academy cadets, serving as a peer counselor and participating in a work group focused on increasing the number of female troopers, the statement continued.
