Bodies of two anglers recovered from St. Marys River

Searchers located the bodies of two ice fishers today in about five feet of water in Munuscong Bay.

The discovery was made about 135 yards from where their snowmobile went through the ice, the Soo Evening News reports.

The search for Kristina Peffers, 20, of Pickford and Nicholas Pangburn, 29, of the Michigan Soo began last Thursday when they failed to returning from a day of fishing in a snow blizzard.

Authorities believe that the pair may have become disoriented in the storm and shot past Kemp's Point to a deeper, faster part of the St. Marys River near the shipping channel.

The Mining Journal in Marquette is reporting that the bodies were found by divers from the Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit.

“We couldn’t believe how far they had made it,” Michigan State Police trooper Clint Michelin told the newspaper, referring to the 135 yards apparently travelled by the pair from where their sled went down.

“They fought hard," Michelin said. "They were going toward shore and obviously they perished."

A helicopter and hovercraft were used in the search.

For more coverage, please follow these links:

Soo Evening News Marquette Mining Journal