A northwestern Minnesota man was found dead after the ATV he was driving apparently went through ice on Big Toad Lake, the Becker County Sheriff’s Office reported Saturday.

The man was identified as Jerry Keith Buhr, 67, of Osage, Minn.

The sheriff’s office received a report about 2:05 a.m. that Buhr had not returned home from fishing near his residence on Big Toad Lake, which is 18 miles east of Detroit Lakes.

Buhr left his home on West Toad Lake Drive on Friday afternoon, driving an ATV to his fish house on Big Toad Lake. When Buhr didn’t return home, or answer phone calls or messages, his wife contacted his brother to help locate Buhr.

Buhr’s brother found a crack in the ice with open water, and Buhr’s wife called the sheriff’s office for aid.

Deputies and emergency personnel from the Wolf Lake and Detroit Lakes fire departments responded, along with the sheriff’s office airboat. About 3:22 a.m., personnel on the airboat found Buhr and the ATV — which was upside down — in 4 to 5 feet of water.

Buhr was taken to an ambulance and later pronounced dead.

The incident remains under investigation.

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