Updated: North Dakota Man Believed to Have Drowned in Cass Lake Identified

Originally published August 10, 2025; updated August 12, 2025 after authorities released the victim’s name.

A North Dakota man is believed to have drowned in Cass Lake on Saturday.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says on August 10 at around 5:50 p.m., their office received reports of a person in the waters of Cass Lake who was not resurfacing. Law enforcement and rescue agencies responded to the lake and began searching the area.

Through an investigation, they learned that a 41-year-old Jon Koehmstedt of Grafton, North Dakota exited a pontoon into Cass Lake to work on a boat motor problem and didn’t resurface. Juveniles on the boat attempted to throw Koehmstedt a life jacket. The boat began to drift in high winds and was later intercepted by other boaters on the lake.

At around 7:51 p.m., Koehmstedt was found in the water and recovered. He was not wearing a life vest at the time of the incident.

An autopsy is scheduled with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the incident remains under investigation.