Eden Prairie Police received a report at 7:53 a.m. Sept. 14 of the discovery of the body of an adult male along Hennepin Town Road, north of Pioneer Trail. The body fits the description of missing Mike Elhard, according to press release.
The location of the found body is less than a mile from Elhard’s residence.
The initial investigation did not indicate foul play, the release said, but police are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
The Medical Examiner’s office will determine the cause of death and make an official identification.
Mike Elhard, 39, was reported missing yesterday by his wife, Kristi, after failing to return from a run. He left his home on Jackson Drive just south of Pioneer Trail at 10 a.m. By 10 p.m. Sept. 13, dozens of family and friends were gathering at Pax Christi Church to begin searching for Elhard.
Searchers combed the roadsides of southeastern Eden Prairie and West Bloomington, which was often a path he would follow on his runs.
“We have to hold it together for Kristi,” neighbor Ali Farm told EPLN Monday night.
Another neighbor, Matt Vanelli said that Elhard has been training for the Chicago Marathon and often runs east into Bloomington. Neighbors began their search on the running and biking trails near Bush Lake and Highland Park, Vanelli said.
EPLN originally reported on this story Sept. 13, 2021.
Steve Schewe contributed to this story.