Body of father who drowned rescuing children in Mississippi River is found

The body of a father who went missing after saving his two children in the Mississippi River has been recovered.

The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that the body of Cody Jay Pope, 41, had been recovered from the river near the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River.

Responders received a report at 11:45 a.m. Friday of multiple people struggling in the water at Rivers Edge Commons. A man and two children had been swimming on the sandbar at the time.

The man was able to grab onto one of the children and get her to the sandbar. He then jumped back in and pushed the other child to shore before disappearing under the water.

One of the children told officials that the man was their father.