Police end search for elderly Hugo man after body found

Officials say they think they've found the body of a missing elderly Hugo man.

The Washington County Sheriff's office says authorities were called last week on a report of a missing 75-year-old man, who didn't come back from an evening walk. Ray Novakovic was an avid walker but also suffered from a variety of medical conditions and was known to become disoriented.

Searchers on horseback, in boats and in a State Patrol helicopter looked for him for much of the next day but decided to call off the search because of the wide area Novakovic could have reached on foot.

Another search out looking for him yesterday found an elderly man's body in the city of Hugo. Authorities say the discovery prompted an end to the search for Novakovic, although investigators are waiting for positive identification and determination of a cause of death from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office.