Sheriff: Body Of Missing UMD Student Jacob Lavoie Found Near Duluth's Canal Park
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The body of missing University of Minnesota Duluth student Jacob Lavoie was recovered Friday afternoon from the Minnesota Slip near Canal Park, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff's office.
Lavoie, 21, was last seen just after midnight on September 1, leaving Grandma's Sports Garden -- which is just a couple hundred feet away from the slip.
His body was pulled from the water at about 3 p.m. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death are still under investigation.
Lavoie's family released this statement Friday evening:
We are devastated by the loss of Jacob. He was our son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to law enforcement, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the entire Duluth community, the Inver Grove Heights community, as well as everyone far and wide for your caring and concern in helping us locate Jacob. Now that Jacob has been found, we ask for your prayers, and also ask that you respect our privacy during our time of great loss.
UMD Chancellor Lynn Black also released a statement Friday:
This is an incredibly sad time. As much as we try to be prepared for something like this, it's extremely difficult. UMD is such a tight community and we're concerned for Jacob's family, his friends on campus, and the faculty and staff that knew him. One of the qualities that defines UMD is the strong contentedness that exists among our community. As much as we may mourn individually for Jacob, our strength is in pulling together and leaning on each other to move forward. In the coming days, we'll reach out to our students and share resources for those who are grieving this great loss.
We acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our community law enforcement agencies who worked on this search– the Duluth Police Department, the UMD Police Department, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, and the St. Louis County Rescue Squad. We are also so grateful to the community for their sincere support.