Body recovered from St. Croix River identified as missing Wisconsin man

Police have identified a body recovered this week from the St. Croix River as a Hudson, Wis., man who has been missing since early March. Hai Quoc Nguyen, 31, had not been seen since March 3.

The identification was made after the Hudson Police Department received reports of a body in the water about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Nguyen was a "bright and engaging young man" who spoke six languages fluently and was well known in the community, according to a Facebook post by the New Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce.

Nguyen often attended chamber events, and the organization expressed sadness over his death.

"Hai loved the chamber, and we loved him. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time," the chamber post said.

In a reply to the post, Alexa Ashley Hynek recalled going to New Richmond High School with Nguyen, who played saxophone. She said he was a talented musician.

"Hai was wonderfully kind and helpful," Hynek said. "It's a sad loss for the community."

Other commenters described him as a friendly person who would always wave and say hello.

Nguyen last was seen driving in Hudson, Wis., about 9:25 p.m. on March 3, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. His vehicle later was found abandoned in the city with his personal belongings inside.

The identification of Nguyen means 18-year-old D'Andrea Sanvig, who reportedly fell into the St. Croix River near Taylors Falls on April 12, is still missing.