A Duluth man who was several days late returning from his camping trip near Ely, was found dead Saturday at his campsite on Burntside Lake.
Daniel Eric Saari, 51, was camping alone on the lake near Ely when he apparently died from natural causes, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.
According to family members, Saari went camping about Aug. 25, indicating he would be gone only a few days, said Capt. Tom Crossman of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad. Saari often went camping alone. But relatives became concerned when they had not heard from him in several days and contacted the sheriff's office about 10 a.m. Saturday, Crossman said.
A deputy checking campsites soon located Saari's vehicle and boat trailer at a public landing on the lake. The rescue squad began searching the lake, and Saari's body was located within two hours, lying on the ground at a campsite. No other campers were nearby, Crossman said.
Although Saari's death isn't suspicious, his body was taken to the Fairview University Medical Center-Mesabi in Hibbing for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
