UPDATED: Beltrami County deputies locate lost fishermen

Two lost fishermen were found by Beltrami County fishermen on Friday.

According to a press release from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office:

The two fishermen, identified as William Wright, 69, of Northome, and David Wright, 61 of Brainerd, were found by deputies between Knudson Dam and Three Mile Road after they sunk their boat on the Mississippi River and began walking in the woods to seek help.

The Sheriff's Office received a cellular phone call from the fishermen at 6:56 p.m. Friday after they became lost in the woods and swamps north of the river. The men reported that they were exhausted, cut up and being eaten by bugs.

Deputies responded to the scene, and located the sunken boat and began searching for the men.

Dispatchers mapped the location of the men with the GPS feature on the cell phone used by the fishermen. With this information, the dispatcher was able to guide the men closer to the river. Deputies began hollering for the men and sounding horns.

The men walked toward the noise and deputies entered the woods on foot. One of the men had faltered from dehydration. Both were brought out to the river and loaded onto Sheriff's Office boats by officers.

They were delivered to Knudson Dam, where they were treated by personnel with Leech Lake Ambulance Service.

Assisting in the search were members from Leech Lake Tribal Police, Tribal Conservation Officers and U.S. Border Patrol.