Police search for missing man
Paradise Beach closed by MVA
Saskatoon RCMP are searching the South Saskatchewan River near Paradise Beach for a 57-yearold man who went missing on the weekend.
Robert Harry Lehto was last seen at Paradise Beach with his friends on Sunday near a sandbar in the river. Investigation and items found nearby led RCMP officers to the area, according to an RCMP news release.
Paradise Beach is located about 20 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon.
Lehto was reported missing around 6 p.m. He had not been seen for about four hours.
Using a boat, the Saskatoon fire department assisted in the search near the beach and downstream.
An RCMP police dog and handler also searched the shoreline with assistance from the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS).
A post to the Meewasin Valley Authority’s (MVA) Facebook page on Tuesday morning said Paradise Beach is closed until further notice due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
Officials with the MVA said they closed the beach’s parking lot on Sunday afternoon at the request of RCMP as officers and emergency responders searched the area.
The RCMP’S underwater recovery unit and civilian air search and rescue started searching the water near Paradise Beach on Monday morning and so far have not been able to locate Lehto.
Search efforts continued Tuesday with the help of Saskatoon Search and Rescue, alongside RCMP search and rescue units.
While search efforts are concentrated on the South Saskatchewan River, RCMP say “other avenues of investigation are still open” and they encourage anyone who has seen Lehto after July 29 to contact Saskatoon RCMP or Crime Stoppers.