Search at Curtain Falls concludes with the recovery of the body of second missing canoeist

Over two weeks after the search and rescue efforts began, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office announced that the body of Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes, MN has been found. Grams and another canoeist, Jesse Melvin Haugen, 41 of Cambridge, MN, were reported missing on May 18. Haugen’s body was recovered on May 31.

The men were part of a group of four canoeists who went over Curtain Falls in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) on May 18. The other two members of their party, Erik Michael Grams, 43, and Kyle Thomas Sellers, 47,  were rescued that day.

The search for Grams and Haugen was conducted by St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, North Air Care, Virginia Fire Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Minnesota Air Rescue Team, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, and the Minnesota National Guard. The assorted agencies used Zodiac boats, canoes, sonar, ROVs, drones, and K-9 teams to search the area. Searchers had to contend with high water levels throughout the search area after significant rain at the end of May.

According to a press release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, search crews located Grams just west of the Curtain Falls in the BWCA on the morning of Monday, Jun. 3. With the final canoeist located, the two-week long mission is now concluded.

Kirsten Wisniewski June 3, 2024