Harlan Altepeter, missing Chisago County hunter, found dead near Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area

Searches were held for Harlan Altepeter, 56, of Minnesota, after he failed to return from his deer hunt.

A missing hunter in Chisago County, Minnesota, was found dead near the Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area after searches were held to locate him following his disappearance. The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to 56-year-old Harlan Altepeter’s disappearance on Friday, November 13, after a citizen reported seeing his vacant vehicle in the Minnesota Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area Parking lot. The vehicle had not moved from the spot for several days, KTSP reported.

The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to Harlan Altepeter’s disappearance on November 13 after a citizen reported seeing his vacant vehicle in the Minnesota Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area Parking lot. (Chisago County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)

“It has been an extremely difficult day for your Chisago County Law Enforcement. Unfortunately, the overdue hunter we posted about earlier today has been located deceased,” the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office said in an update on Facebook.

The sheriff’s office said that Altepeter showed no signs of trauma or suspicious activity.

What we know about Harlan Altepeter’s disappearance and death

The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office said in the Facebook post that an initial search included ground personnel, a drone equipped with thermal imaging, and the Minnesota State Patrol Aviation Unit, but Altepeter, of North Branch, could not be found. A coordinated search continued on November 14, with personnel from the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Harris Fire Department, Northstar Search and Rescue, and CAM Search and Rescue–Minnesota Team.

“At approximately 4:30 p.m., search teams located an adult male, believed to be Mr. Altepeter, deceased within the wildlife management area. No signs of trauma or suspicious activity were observed. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office responded to process the scene,” wrote the sheriff’s office.

Facebook user Veronica Lee Norton identified herself as Altepeter’s niece, and commented on the sheriff’s office’s post, “We really appreciate the efforts of everyone involved with the search, and that he was found quickly.”

The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office said in an earlier post that Altepeter “did not return home from his deer hunt” and that cell phone tracking was “inconclusive.”