Search continues near Cascade Lake for missing Silver Bay man

A search covering difficult terrain near Cascade Lake has so far failed to locate a Silver Bay man who has been missing for two weeks.

Search and rescue efforts began late last week after discovering the vehicle of Gene Adam Doherty, 40, who was last seen leaving his mother’s house in the Silver Bay area on July 1. Doherty’s vehicle, a 2009 dark blue Ford Edge, was found abandoned on July 11, facing south, on Brule Lake Rd near the intersection with The Grade in Cook County.

The remote area features numerous lakes, including Cascade Lake, Little Cascade Lake, Homer Lake, and Brule Lake, and is located near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Map of the search area for missing Silver Bay man

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office released a missing person report on July 10, stating that Doherty may be suffering from a mental health crisis. According to authorities, Doherty left his mother’s home without clothing and his dog, which concerned family and friends.

According to authorities, a U.S. Forest Service employee noticed a dark blue Ford Edge parked on Brule Lake Rd in the days leading up to the missing person report. As soon as the missing person report was received, the Forest Service employee contacted the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and a deputy ran the license plate and confirmed it belonged to Doherty.

“We don’t know how long he had been out in the wilderness before the vehicle was found,” said Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen. “Or his direction of travel.”

Given that the vehicle was found facing south, authorities have been focusing their efforts on the immediate vicinity near the intersection and nearby 451-acre Cascade Lake. Over the weekend, a detection dog pinpointed Doherty’s scent, leading crews to the public boat landing at Cascade Lake. Crews have used canoes and motorboats to scour the shoreline and lake in search of Doherty. Search efforts have also included the use of cadaver dogs, but have not yielded any results.

“The search has been slow,” Eliasen said.

Given that after four days of searching with no results and the difficult terrain, Eliasen said crews will “re-evaluate our options” on Monday evening.

Search and rescue crews include the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Cook County Search and Rescue, the U.S. Forest Service, St. Louis County Search and Rescue, and Tom Crossmon of Crossmon Consulting.

Authorities searching for Gene Adam Doherty | Photo by Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Anyone who has seen or had contact with Doherty is asked to contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030.

Kalli Hawkins July 14, 2025