Body Found In Search For Missing Inver Grove Heights Man

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN — A body matching the description of a missing 31-year-old Inver Grove Heights man was found in Afton State Park Saturday evening, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

Andrew Dropik was last seen May 16 at a gas station in Inver Grove Heights. Days later, family members found his vehicle in an area where Dropik liked to hike near Afton State Park, officials said.

After a weekslong search by authorities and volunteers that spanned over 1,600 acres, search and rescue teams found the body within the isolated terrain of Afton State Park around 7 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

Both family and authorities said in the news release they suspected that Dropik had been undergoing a mental health crisis and noted that a handgun from his home was missing.

Preliminary investigation does not indicate any sign of foul play, according to officials.

The body will be officially identified and a manner of death will be determined by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, officials said.