Man dies after ATV breaks through the ice in Becker County

A man has died after the ATV he was riding broke through the ice in Toad Lake Township in Becker County.

Authorities identified the victim Saturday night as Jerry Keith Buhr, 67,

The Becker County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report around 2:05 a.m. Saturday of a man who had not returned from fishing near his home on Big Toad Lake(18 miles east of Detroit Lakes). The man, later identified as Buhr, had left his home on West Toad Lake Drive Friday afternoon on an ATV, driving to his fish house on the lake.

After Buhr hadn’t returned home for several hours and didn’t respond to calls and messages, his wife called his brother to help search, officials said. His brother found a crack in the ice with open water, and authorities were called for help.

Buhr was found in four to five feet of water, and the ATV was flipped upside-down, officials said. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

Authorities across the state have been warning residents that ice conditions will continue to deteriorate due to the ongoing warm weather and the rain forecasted for the holiday weekend.