Search for missing Goodhue County man continues, officials focus on water efforts
Water patrol search for Brad Nagel photographed Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 (Credit: Mayzie Olson, KAAL-TV)
The search for a missing father of two from Goodhue County continued on Tuesday as officials combed the area of the Mississippi River near Red Wing.
As initially reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS sister station KAAL, 57-year-old Brad Nagel has not been seen or heard from in a week.
Law enforcement has centralized their search efforts near where Nagel’s truck was found, about 40 yards from the shore of a boat landing at the edge of Wisconsin on the Wisconsin Channel, which splits the Mississippi River.
Law enforcement found the truck after Nagel’s phone pinged on Wednesday night at a cellphone tower in Red Wing, indicating it was within four miles of the tower. From there, the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office was able to find the truck.
“We located it using sonar on our boats in a back channel of Wisconsin and then our dive team went down, hooked it up but unfortunately, it was unoccupied,” Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly told KAAL. “It was a needle in a haystack, but we got lucky on that.”
Tuesday, more drone searches and water patrols were conducted further down the river from where the truck was found across the river channel from Mr. Sippi Yacht Brokerage Bar in Hager City, Wis., according to KAAL.
Both the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are now assisting in the search efforts for the missing father.
Sheriff Kelly says he feels confident that Nagel is not anywhere near where his truck was found, but that river searches will continue.
At this time, there are no organized, public searches for Nagel, officials say.
Sheriff Chad Koranda of Pierce County says law enforcement officials are also combing through local businesses and establishments for any footage that may assist in the investigation.
If you know anything about Nagel’s disappearance or where he may have gone since last Wednesday, you are urged to contact the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office at 651-385-3155.