WASCOTT, Wis. — The St. Louis County Rescue Squad and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office discovered the body of missing 27-year-old Andrew DeRock of New Ulm Wednesday afternoon, according to a press release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

DeRock went missing Oct. 28 alongside 26-year-old Ryan Busch after their canoe capsized on the Minong Flowage. Ryan Busch was found on Nov. 8.

“Land, water and air searches were conducted over the 18 days by multiple agencies,” the release said. “[These] include the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, WI DNR, Sawyer County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, Superior Dive Team, Wascott, Gordon and Minong Fire Departments, Newbold Fire (Vilas County) K9 teams and Sarah Garfunkel with KERT – K9 Emergency Response Team. Six different Sheriffs assisted Douglas County throughout the operation.”

The release said weather conditions were clear and calm, with a full moon, and it is not considered to be a factor in what happened. Weather, cold water temperatures, submerged stumps and natural foliage in the search area were identified by Izzard as having hindered their search efforts.

“Sheriff Izzard would like to thank Sheriff Ramsay for the aid from the St. Louis Rescue Squad whose dedication, knowledge and work ethic are unmatched,” the release said. “He would also like to thank the local businesses and the Wascott community who kept the searchers warm, fed and opened their homes to assist this operation. The families truly appreciate the overwhelming support from the community.”

The search and recovery operation has now concluded. It is still unclear what led to the men’s deaths.