(Harlan, IA) – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports a snowmobile accident claimed the life of a man late Saturday night or early this (Sunday) morning. Authorities were notified at around 12:15-a.m. about the accident that had occurred along Highway 191, south of Portsmouth.

Responders from Portsmouth Fire and Rescue, the Shelby County Ambulance Service, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene to find a snowmobile and rider submerged in a creek. The rider – identified as 64-year-old Scott Gau, of Portsmouth – was removed from the icy water and pronounced deceased.

His body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, where an autopsy will be conducted.