24-year-old Minnesota man found dead in South Dakota

RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Mantorville man was found dead at Stratobowl, a hiking area southwest of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Alex Verburg, 24, was found by search and rescue personnel in a rugged area at the bottom of a cliff.

The Rapid City Police Department received a call around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, about an individual who hadn’t been seen or heard from for several days, according to a Facebook post from the Pennington County (South Dakota) Sheriff’s Office.

Law enforcement located the missing person’s vehicle near the Stratobowl Trailhead off U.S. Highway 16 and began a search of the area, both on foot and with a drone. The search was suspended to Wednesday morning, Sept. 7, due to low light.

Verburg was found Wednesday, and the Pennington County Search and Rescue used a vertical recovery to reach his body.

The sheriff’s office said there were no preliminary signs of foul play, but the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and Rapid City Police Department are investigating the incident.

The Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department and U.S. Forest Service also assisted in the search and rescue.