Minnesota man reported missing along North Shore has permit to be in BWCAW until August 11, brother reports
Aug 12, 2023 07:54AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: MN BCA
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - August 11, 2023
UPDATE on August 12th at 7:45 a.m.: According to a statement on the Marshall Police Department Facebook page, "Justin has been located in northern Minnesota and is safe. Thanks to everyone for their help. A special thank you to the Cook County Sheriff's Office and US Forest Service for their assistance."
On Thursday, August 10, 2023, the Minnesota BCA along with the Marshall Police Department issued a missing person's report for Justin Sperl, 36. The BCA reported that Sperl is 6 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. He drives a silver 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor with Minnesota license plate BMK969, and may have a kayak (light blue with green bottom) with him.
Sperl was last heard from on August 4, as he was heading north along Highway 61 for a solo camping trip. It was reported by multiple agencies that he was due back home on Monday, August 7 for work, but never showed up.
According to a Facebook post in the group "Missing Persons of Minnesota", a man stated to be Justin's brother, Caleb Sperl, shared an update at 10pm on August 10 on an earlier post that said:
"Received another call from Cook County, a deputy has found his vehicle parked at the Brule Lake entry point of the boundary waters! When buying a boundary water permit they tell you to put it in the glove box, so the police got into his car and checked the glove box and found a permit for “August 5th to August 11th.”They did not go in looking for him because according to the permit he is planning to be there until tomorrow. They left a card on his vehicle that said to contact them. They will be checking his vehicle again tomorrow.
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - August 11, 2023
On Thursday, August 10, 2023, the Minnesota BCA along with the Marshall Police Department issued a missing person's report for Justin Sperl, 36. The BCA reported that Sperl is 6 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. He drives a silver 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor with Minnesota license plate BMK969, and may have a kayak (light blue with green bottom) with him.
Sperl was last heard from on August 4, as he was heading north along Highway 61 for a solo camping trip. It was reported by multiple agencies that he was due back home on Monday, August 7 for work, but never showed up.
According to a Facebook post in the group "Missing Persons of Minnesota", a man stated to be Justin's brother, Caleb Sperl, shared an update at 10pm on August 10 on an earlier post that said:
"Received another call from Cook County, a deputy has found his vehicle parked at the Brule Lake entry point of the boundary waters! When buying a boundary water permit they tell you to put it in the glove box, so the police got into his car and checked the glove box and found a permit for “August 5th to August 11th.”They did not go in looking for him because according to the permit he is planning to be there until tomorrow. They left a card on his vehicle that said to contact them. They will be checking his vehicle again tomorrow.
Appears it was indeed a perfect scenario between going off-grid and miscommunication on when he’d be back after all with his employer. Thank you all for your continuous help and especially to an amazing UPS driver whom took time out of his day to identify the route in his Snapchat photo so we can better narrow the search! Boy will he be surprised when he turns his phone on!"
Boreal Community Media reached out to Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliason who confirmed the information from Caleb Sperl is correct.
Eliason also stated that if people have information about Justin Sperl they should still call it in. "We'll never turn down information, and if for some reason he doesn’t show up today at the landing, we may need to start a search."
If you have any information about Justin Sperl, officials are still taking information. Contact the Cook County Sheriff's Department at 218-387-3030, or Marshall Police Department at 507-537-6760. In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
Boreal Community Media reached out to Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliason who confirmed the information from Caleb Sperl is correct.
Eliason also stated that if people have information about Justin Sperl they should still call it in. "We'll never turn down information, and if for some reason he doesn’t show up today at the landing, we may need to start a search."
If you have any information about Justin Sperl, officials are still taking information. Contact the Cook County Sheriff's Department at 218-387-3030, or Marshall Police Department at 507-537-6760. In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
Facebook post from Caleb Sperl
