Search continues

TROMMALD -- The renewed search of the Virginia Mine Pit Lake for the body of 21-year-old Erika Dalquist continues today.

"We're making progress, but not having success," said Crow Wing County Sheriff's Sgt. Neal Gaalswyk, the boat and water safety supervisor. "We're searching targeted areas and eliminating them, but obviously we have not found what we're looking for."

The new search is being done with a remote-operated vehicle, which employs powerful lights, cameras and sonar equipment. The ROV was brought to the lake on Monday by the Trident Foundation, a non-profit organization specializing in aquatic investigation and recovery.

The 189-foot-deep, 20-acre mine pit lake, located near Trommald, has been the focal point in the search for Dalquist since Jan. 14. Crow Wing County Dive Team members and the sheriff's department have searched the upper depths of the lake, and sonar and underwater cameras have been used to search deep areas of the lake.

Gaalswyk said Trident representatives plan to complete their search of the Virginia Mine Pit Lake today, and also will search a nearby smaller lake Thursday.