{"id":73536,"date":"2026-11-15T07:47:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-15T13:47:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=73536"},"modified":"2026-11-15T07:47:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-15T13:47:57","slug":"missing-north-branch-hunter-found-dead-near-harris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/missing-north-branch-hunter-found-dead-near-harris\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing North Branch Hunter Found Dead Near Harris"},"content":{"rendered":"

HARRIS, Chisago County, MN<\/strong> \u2013 (trfnews.i234.me)<\/a> \u2013 A two-day search for a missing Minnesota deer hunter ended in tragedy Saturday, November 14, 2026.<\/p>\n

Search teams located a deceased man believed to be Harlan Altepeter, 56, of North Branch<\/strong>, inside the Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area near Harris.<\/p>\n

The discovery came at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office.<\/p>\n

Concerned Citizen Reports Abandoned Vehicle<\/h2>\n

The investigation began Friday, November 13, when a concerned citizen contacted authorities about a parked vehicle.<\/p>\n

The vehicle had reportedly been sitting near the Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area for several days.<\/p>\n

Deputies investigated and determined the vehicle was likely connected to an overdue deer hunter.<\/p>\n

Authorities identified the missing hunter as Harlan Altepeter, a 56-year-old North Branch resident who had not returned from hunting.<\/p>\n

Extensive Search Uses Drones and Aircraft<\/h2>\n

Search crews launched an operation involving ground personnel, aerial assistance, and specialized equipment.<\/p>\n

A drone equipped with thermal imaging searched the area. The Minnesota State Patrol Aviation Unit also assisted.<\/p>\n

Despite those efforts, search teams initially found no one needing assistance.<\/p>\n

Other hunters reported seeing nothing suspicious. Investigators continued working into Friday night to locate the missing man.<\/p>\n

Search Teams Make Tragic Discovery Saturday<\/h2>\n

On Saturday, November 14, multiple agencies returned to the wildlife management area for another coordinated search.<\/p>\n

At approximately 4:30 p.m., crews discovered a deceased adult male believed to be Altepeter.<\/p>\n

The sheriff’s office reported no visible signs of trauma or suspicious activity at the scene.<\/p>\n

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office responded to process the scene and assist with the death investigation.<\/p>\n

Authorities have not released an official cause of death. The sheriff’s initial announcement described the identification as preliminary.<\/p>\n

Multiple Agencies Assist in Search<\/h2>\n

The search involved the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office and several emergency response organizations.<\/p>\n

Assisting agencies included the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Harris Fire Department, and Minnesota State Patrol.<\/p>\n

Northstar Search and Rescue and CAM Search and Rescue\u2013Minnesota Team also provided assistance.<\/p>\n

Numerous members of the local hunting community supported the search efforts.<\/p>\n

The coordinated operation brought together emergency responders, volunteers, and experienced search personnel.<\/p>\n

Cause of Death Remains Undetermined<\/h2>\n

Investigators have not announced what caused the hunter’s death.<\/p>\n

Officials reported no apparent evidence of suspicious activity surrounding the discovery.<\/p>\n

The medical examiner’s findings may provide more information about the circumstances of the death.<\/p>\n

TRF News previously reported on the search for Altepeter before the tragic discovery.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> 56-Year-Old North Branch Hunter Missing Near Harris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additional reporting:<\/strong> FOX 9 \u2013 Missing Deer Hunter Found Dead Near Harris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A two-day search for a missing Minnesota deer hunter ended in tragedy Saturday, November 14, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harlan Altepeter, 56, of North Branch, was found dead near Harris, Minnesota, after a two-day search at Wild Rose Wildlife Management Area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":73537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"","timeOption":"","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":""},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[25777],"tags":[32510,8628],"trf_mt_town":[],"trf_mt_county":[],"trf_mt_topic":[],"trf_mt_series":[],"class_list":["post-73536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tri-state-news","tag-harlan-altepeter","tag-missing-person"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73539,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73536\/revisions\/73539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73536"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_town","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_town?post=73536"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_county","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_county?post=73536"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_topic?post=73536"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_series?post=73536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}