Around 6 p.m. on the evening of Sunday, May 11, officers from the Chaska Police Department (CPD) began assisting the Carver County Sheriff’s Office in a search effort for a man who had gone missing during a bike ride on the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail. The man had been cycling with a friend when they became separated near The Landing in Shakopee, a scenic and heavily wooded area along the trail. After losing contact with his companion, the friend raised the alarm and contacted local authorities.
The joint search effort mobilized quickly, with CPD officers combing the area and eventually locating the missing man’s bicycle off the trail near United Sugars on Stoughton Avenue in Chaska. The bicycle’s discovery shifted the focus of the search and led to the deployment of additional resources. CPD drones were launched to gain aerial surveillance, while all-terrain vehicles from the Carver County Sheriff’s Office began scouring the surrounding terrain. The Minnesota State Patrol also dispatched a helicopter to assist in the increasingly urgent search operation.
Tragically, shortly after the helicopter arrived on the scene, the flight crew spotted the man’s body in a wooded area, not far from where the bicycle had been found. Responders confirmed that the man was deceased. His identity has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.
Officials have emphasized that there is no threat to public safety, and early findings from the ongoing investigation indicate that there were no signs of foul play. The circumstances surrounding the man’s death appear to be non-suspicious at this time. However, a definitive cause and manner of death will be determined through an autopsy conducted by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.
This remains an active investigation, and authorities have not released any further details regarding the incident. The community of Chaska, along with the broader Carver County region, is left mourning the sudden and heartbreaking end to what began as a routine outdoor outing.
Anyone with information that might assist investigators is encouraged to contact the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.