PARKE TOWNSHIP, Minn. (KWAD) – A search for a missing Pelican Rapids man ended tragically Tuesday when authorities located his vehicle submerged in a slough southeast of Rollag.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, 66-year-old Richard Evenson was reported missing the morning of September 2 after leaving his home in Pelican Rapids the previous evening. He had told family he was heading toward the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher Reunion in Rollag but never arrived.

Deputies learned Evenson was traveling with his dog in a red Jeep Wrangler. Around 12:36 p.m., authorities received a report of a vehicle in the water in the 11000 block of 280th Street South. Responding deputies found the Jeep about 25 feet off the roadway, submerged in a slough.

Valley Water Rescue assisted with recovery efforts. Evenson was found deceased inside the vehicle, while his dog was also recovered and later returned to the family’s home at their request.

Evenson’s body was transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains ongoing.