DETROIT LAKES — Authorities in northwestern Minnesota are asking for the public’s help as they investigate an apparent hunting accident that killed a former police chief.

Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander said a preliminary autopsy indicates 53-year-old Jay Clayton Nelson died of a gunshot wound. Glander confirms to KFGO Radio that Nelson was former police chief of Lake Park.

Nelson’s body was found in a vehicle on a logging trail on Saturday night about a half-mile west of Little Flat Lake. Authorities said his death appears to be a hunting accident.

The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help identifying anyone who may have been hunting in that area on Saturday.