The body of a Minot man who was missing for several days was located Tuesday evening in the Sawyer area.

The Minot Police Department reported the body of Ron Petersen, 54, was located at around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Petersen had been missing for several days and searches were conducted to locate him.

Petersen’s body was located by volunteers searching in a helicopter in an area near and along the Canadian Pacific railroad west of Sawyer. Deputies from the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, CP Railroad Police and the Minot Police Department responded to the area and located a deceased male in an area north of the CP rail tracks obscured from sight at ground level by tall grass. The body was located in an area west of where a multijurisdictional ground search for Petersen was conducted earlier on Tuesday.

Petersen had been missing since around July 1. His vehicle was located northwest of Sawyer, parked on a gravel road. Last week the Ward County Sheriff’s Department and Minot Police Department conducted a search of the area but did not find him. The North Dakota Highway Patrol was requested to help with bloodhounds and a plane, but still were unable to locate Petersen.