Body of missing Cook County resident found in Lake Superior

The body of a missing Cook County resident has been recovered after nearly a week of extensive searching.

The body of Denny Pechacek was recovered Thursday morning from Lake Superior just west of Horseshoe Bay near Hovland. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen confirmed with WTIP that Pechacek, 72, was found in the water in Lake Superior at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday. His body was found in approximately 44 ft. of water, according to officials involved with the search and who recovered the body from the bottom of Lake Superior.

The Cook County Sheriff’s office received information in the early morning hours of August 24, that a helmet had washed up on the beach in Cook County. The helmet was confirmed to be that of the pilot, and search efforts were concentrated in the surrounding vicinity. Pechacek’s body was located about 400 ft. from the shoreline after a three hour search by Tom Crossmon of Crossmon Consulting. Crossman, who is also a member of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, used a VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicle in the recovery process, he told WTIP.

Last Friday, Pechacek took to the air in a Six Chuter aircraft at approximately 6:30 p.m. near 30 Flute Reed Road in the Hovland area, which is located about 20 miles from Grand Marais. The aircraft has not been recovered, according to officials involved with the recovery of Pechacek’s body.

According to the authorities, the last sighting of the pilot and the ultralight aircraft with a blue parachute was near Hovland. Local law enforcement, search and rescue teams from across the region, and volunteers from Cook County and other parts of Minnesota have spent the past six days looking for Pechacek after he was reported missing August 18.

Cook County law enforcement officials were quick with their praise of the volunteers who spent many hours looking for signs of Pechacek and his aircraft in the rugged terrain and dense forests near Hovland.

Joe Friedrichs August 24, 2023