Body of elderly man found in Lake Nokomis; no foul play suspected

The body of an elderly Lincoln County man whose family members had reported him missing has been recovered from Lake Nokomis, according to the Lincoln County sheriff’s office.

“Shortly after 9 p.m. on July 24, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a request for a welfare check on an elderly male at an address on County Road N in the Township of Bradley, Lincoln County, after out-of-town family members had been unable to reach him for over 24 hours,” department officials explained in a press release. “That male party was identified as Leroy H. Rupnow, age 83. Deputies responded to the address but were unable to make contact with Leroy. The residence and surrounding wooded area, along with the shoreline of Lake Nokomis, were searched by deputies as well as a K9 unit. A K9 track indicated that Mr. Rupnow may potentially have walked up to and perhaps even into the lake, though Mr. Rupnow was unable to be located. In the early morning hours of July 25, after enough information was developed to warrant an activation, the Lincoln County 911 Center requested a ‘Silver Alert’ be sent out asking for the public's assistance in locating Leroy or providing information as to his whereabouts. Shortly after that alert was broadcast, day shift deputies searching the area with the benefit of added daylight were able to spot what appeared to be an abnormality approximately 30 yards off shore from Mr. Rupnow's residence.  Further observation, which included the assistance of the Oneida County sheriff's office’s drone team, led to confirmation that it was in fact the body of Leroy H. Rupnow in the water. Members of the Tomahawk Fire Department assisted in removing Mr. Rupnow’s body from the water where he was then pronounced deceased by the Lincoln County Coroner.”

At this time, no foul play is suspected, though the incident remains under joint-investigation by the Lincoln County sheriff’s office and the Lincoln County coroner’s office, the release states.