Dad drowns after saving 2 kids in river, MN cops say. ‘A true hero in his last moments’

A 41-year-old man drowned after saving two children from a river’s strong current, Minnesota authorities say.

The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office said Cody Pope was swimming on a sandbar in the Mississippi River with his two kids July 12 near the town of Elk River when the children began to struggle in the water.

He grabbed one of the kids and got her to the sandbar, the sheriff’s office said. He then jumped back in to rescue the other child, but he disappeared under water as he pushed the child to shore.

“The children told firefighters and police officers that their dad was missing,” according to the sheriff’s office, which said first responders helped retrieve the second kid in the river.

Authorities searched for Pope for two days until his body was recovered July 14 from the Mississippi River in adjoining Wright County, according to the sheriff.

“He was an amazing daddy and a true hero in his last moments,” his partner, Cheryl Holzknecht, said in a Facebook post. “I don’t know how I will make it without him, he was my rock and did so much for anyone and everyone he knew. Such a selfless human and gone far too soon.”

Elk River is about a 35-mile drive northwest from Minneapolis.

This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Dad drowns after saving 2 kids in river, MN cops say. ‘A true hero in his last moments’."