The Hennepin County medical examiner on Saturday released the identity of a man found dead in Lake Minnetonka earlier this week.

The man was identified as David Charles Carlson, a 65-year-old doctor from Blaine.

Crews began to search the lake after an abandoned sailboat was found Wednesday afternoon.

Deputies found and recovered Carlson's body Thursday afternoon from Smith Bay just off Orono, a city bordering the north side of the lake. According to the medical examiner's office, Carlson's official time of death was 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

The medical examiner and Hennepin County Sheriff's Water Patrol continue to investigate the cause of his death.

A short obituary was posted online for Carlson the same day he was found.

Carlson graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1978 and practiced medicine for almost 40 years, according to an online bio. He had affiliations with Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Regions Hospital in St. Paul and also practiced in Blaine.

Miguel Otárola • 612-673-4753