EVART — A body which was recovered by first responders in the Muskegon River on Feb. 26 in Evart has been positively identified as 60-year-old Donald Garry Tiegen.
Tiegen has been missing from Evart since Nov. 29, when his 2003 GMC Yukon had been driven into the river from his yard off Trout Haven Drive in Osceola Township.
On Friday, personnel from the Michigan State Police, Evart Fire Department, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and a marine team from Mecosta County recovered his body from the river, which had been reported by a passerby, according to MSP Trooper Jeff Hunger. The process of recovery took several hours, and officers were able to use a hovercraft and rope to quickly ease the body onto the southern shoreline at about 6 p.m.
The cause of death is under investigation pending autopsy results, and the incident is being investigated as accidental.
