Local officials continue to work to determine the cause of death in two separate losses over the weekend — the first, a rural Flandreau man.
A plow driver early Saturday came across the vehicle and subsequently, the body of Jesse Nissen. Authorities say the 68-year-old was found deceased alongside the exterior of his vehicle. Moody County Sheriff Troy Wellman said that Nissen’s truck had gotten stuck in a snowbank a few miles from his home, northeast of town.  
“It appears he exited his vehicle through the passenger side front window,” said Sheriff Troy Wellman, on Sunday. “It is unknown if he had a medical episode or passed away from exposure. It is also unknown how long he had been there prior to being found by the plow operator.”  

He had been a commercial truck driver throughout his career and was on the road much of the time, but health problems the past few years had slowed him down. Neighbors were surprised he would have gone out in such bad weather and wouldn’t have called for help had he just gone off the road and gotten stuck. Nissen’s cause of death continues to be under investigation.
Also out of Flandreau, local authorities are trying to piece together what may have happened to 55-year-old Shawne Rislov.
Rislov’s family reported concerns for her welfare on Friday. Flandreau City Police, after searching extensively for her throughout the day Saturday, notified the public of her disappearance and asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact local authorities. Search crews focused on the area around the water tower and the bridge over the Big Sioux River along Highway 13, as that was the last place her phone indicated that she might have been before it either was shut off or lost power. Police searched into the night on Saturday and organized a search party for early Sunday.
Only minutes into the search, however, authorities found Shawne’s body just off the Crescent Street approach to the dam on the south side of the river. Flandreau Police Chief Zach Weber said that it was too early to tell exactly what might have happened. The investigation is ongoing.