By Will Ashenmacher
The Duluth News-Tribune (Minn.)
KOOCHICHING COUNTY, Minn. — A 51-year-old Cloquet man was found Thursday night in Koochiching County after being missing for almost 11 hours.
Todd Hennemuth disappeared from the group home near Cloquet where he lives about 11:10 a.m., said St. Louis County Search and Rescue Squad Capt. Tom Crossmon.
Crossmon described Hennemuth as a "vulnerable adult" but did not know the nature of Hennemuth's impairment.
Hennemuth was found in Koochiching County about 10 p.m. Thursday after residents saw his picture on TV. Crossmon said he apparently arrived there after being given a ride.
About 30 law enforcement and rescue personnel spent Thursday afternoon and evening searching a six-mile area of southern St. Louis County for Hennemuth.
The search for Hennemuth began about 2 p.m., and by 4 p.m. the rescue squad began using a bloodhound to track Hennemuth.
Mounted volunteers from the Carlton County Sheriff's Department also helped with the search, and a second bloodhound was called in as the search entered evening. Search efforts were concentrated between Highway 33 and the St. Louis River north of Cloquet.
Crossmon said a bloodhound picked up parts of a trail, but nothing that led to finding Hennemuth.
Crossmon said Hennemuth has gone missing before. Last winter, he disappeared and was found in Cloquet at a residence where his mother used to live.
A light, persistent rain Thursday made search conditions "less than ideal" for search personnel, Crossmon said, but helped keep the scent of Hennemuth's trail fresh for the dogs.
The search was discontinued about 9:30 p.m. because searchers turned up evidence that Hennemuth may have been picked up by a vehicle.
In addition to the rescue squad and the Carlton County Sheriff's Department, the St. Louis and Lake county sheriff's departments assisted with the search.
Copyright 2008 Duluth News-Tribune
