A 49-year-old Breezy Point man was found dead Sunday of an accidental self-inflected gunshot wound near the Pine River in Mission Township, just north of Merrifield, said Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl.

The man was identified as Timothy Young.
Dahl said the sheriff’s office received a report of a missing hunter, who was muzzleloading, at 8:01 p.m. Authorities conducted an extensive search near the Pine River and located Young, who was deceased, at 10:44 p.m. on land near the river.

Dahl said the cause of death is under investigation and an autopsy will be performed at the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” said Dahl. “This is especially tragic happening this close to Christmas.”

Assisting the sheriff’s deputies in their search were the Crosslake, Breezy Point and Pequot Lakes police departments; and the Mission, Crosslake, Nisswa and Pequot Lakes fire departments.