LUTSEN, MN – A 61-year-old man died after a wave swept him into Lake Superior near 4840 West Highway 61 on August 12, 2025.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office was called about a person in the water. Deputies arrived to see an unresponsive body drifting about 100 feet from shore. Cook County Search and Rescue (CCSAR) launched a boat from Tofte, but rough water forced them to turn back. A U.S. Border Patrol boat launched from Grand Marais reached the scene, recovered the body, and brought it to Grand Marais. CCSAR then transferred the deceased to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Investigators learned the man had been sitting on the shore with a woman. When she walked back to the cabin, a large wave knocked him over and pulled him into the lake. The name of the victim and cause of death are being withheld pending autopsy results. The investigation is ongoing.
