Body of missing man John Rustad recovered by RCMP dive team

RCMP said members of their dive team have recovered the body of John Rustad, 76, who was reported missing Monday. He was last heard from on Saturday when he told family members he was going to go ice fishing just outside Assiniboia near an area known as the Willows Dam.

RCMP said Rustad was found below the ice in water that was about three metres deep. They said they also found the body of the man's small dog in the water. His vehicle has also been located and efforts were underway to pull it from the water.

Dive teams were looking in that spot because RCMP had learned, later in the day Monday, that there was an unknown object just below the surface of the water.

RCMP said they notified Rustad's family of that development and then began to make arrangements for their Underwater Recovery Team to get to the site.

Meanwhile, RCMP said a friend of the family who had an underwater camera checked out the site early Tuesday morning and spotted a vehicle in the water.

The dive team then arrived and, on Tuesday afternoon, found the missing man about three metres from shore.

RCMP noted that ice in the area was about 30 centimetres thick.