KUGLER TWP — In the time it took to make lunch, Nancy Kotzian realized that her 76-year-old husband, Tim, who has been suffering from some serious health issues, had wandered out of their yard at their home in rural Tower. It was a little after 2 p.m. on Sept. 14, and she estimated that Tim had been gone about half an hour. The couple lives just south of Tower, and their home is surrounded by public lands, rivers, and a series of ski, ATV, and snowmobile trails.
“He had left his overshirt and his phone in the yard,” Nancy said. She was used to using the phone to track where he was, but without his phone she had no way to track down his location.
Nancy jumped in her car and started driving up and down the gravel roads by their home, and then into Tower, which was only two miles away, but found no sign of Tim. She notified her adults sons, and then notified the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department.
Local law enforcement and the St. Louis County Rescue Squad responded to the scene. They told Nancy that time was of the essence and began a search. With the help of search dogs, they began walking the trails nearby. The dogs were given some clothing of Tim’s to learn his scent.
Someone out hunting on the Prospector’s Trail reported seeing Tim at around 2 p.m., but searchers did not find him until early evening. They had narrowed down the area where the dogs thought he was. He was about 60 yards off a trail, searchers said, and he’d been whistling.
“He was beat,” said Nancy, “so very tired, and he hadn’t had any water or food. He was quite a way from our house.”
Nancy had nothing but praise for those who helped in the search.
“I am just so happy he made it home,” she said. “I have to thank all the first responders who helped out. People were so kind. It is so wonderful to live in this community.”
Nancy said her family is putting some safeguards in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, Nett Lake Police Department, Minnesota DNR Conservation officers, and the Minnesota State Patrol.