Updated July 16, 2020
According to Fillmore County Chief Deputy, Lance Boyum, the body of the man located in the Root River yesterday has been identified as 58 year old, William Michel, of Rushford, Minn. An official cause of death will be determined pending the autopsy.
July 15, 2020
According to Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge, search and rescue teams located the body of a Fillmore County man in the Root River near Peterson today.
At approximately midnight on Wednesday, July 15 a friend reported that the man had gone fishing alone on the river yesterday afternoon, and had not returned home. A search operation was conducted, and at approximately 1:23 p.m., the man’s body was located in the Root River between Peterson and Rushford by Minnesota DNR Officers using an airboat, a short distance downstream from the man’s flotation raft. An official cause of death will be determined pending an autopsy. The name of the subject is not being released at this time to allow for notification of family.
The search was led by the Rushford Fire Department, assisted by the Minnesota DNR, Winona County Dive Rescue Team, the Houston Fire Department, the Rushford Police Department, and the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office.