Kids & Family
Minnesota Man Who Died Saving His Kids In Mississippi River Remembered As An "Absolute Hero"
"He would give the shirt off his back for a stranger. That's the way he was. I just want to say he is an absolute hero," Pope's friend said.
July 16, 2024
ELK RIVER, Minn. — An Elk River father is being hailed a hero for saving two of his kids before getting swept up in the Mississippi River.
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Sherburne County authorities say 41-year-old Cody Pope and his family had been swimming on Friday morning before the river's strong current swept them downstream. Pope helped his 10-year-old daughter to a sandbar and then supported his 6-year-old son long enough to push him to shore before he disappeared underwater.
For two days, more than a dozen agencies searched for him in the river. Just before 10 a.m. on Sunday, the Wright County Water Patrol recovered Pope's body along this stretch of the river near the Oliver Kelley Farm, about three miles from where he initially went into the water.
Find out what's happening in Across Minnesotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Cody Pope/Chris Peterson/CBS Minnesota
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