A 17-year-old boy drowned in the Cannon River near Cannon Falls on Friday afternoon after going under the water three times while swimming with two friends who tried desperately to pull him back to shore. Logan Alway was identified after a massive, multi-agency search located his body roughly two hours after a 911 call went out. His family is now trying to process the loss while raising money to cover funeral costs.
According to a press release from the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office relayed by KROC-AM News, Alway was swimming with two other young men when he went under. His companions jumped into the water to try to save him, watching him resurface twice before he went under a final time and did not come back up. The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office later identified the victim as Alway, according to southernminn.com.
Emergency crews responded in force once the alarm was raised. Responders from the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office, Cannon Falls Police and Fire Departments, Cannon Falls Ambulance, the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources mounted a coordinated search after a 911 call came in at 4:39 p.m. Friday, according to KDWA. Crews recovered his body at 6:54 p.m., roughly two hours after the initial distress call.
A Family Left in Shock
Christopher Rocco, a 35-yearlong friend of Alway's parents who has known Logan since he was born, called the teen's father Saturday morning to check in, per the same account from southernminn.com. Alway's parents, who are separated, were described as devastated. The teen leaves behind a stepbrother named Tommy, half-sisters named Elizabeth and Sophia, and a sister, Sammie, who is one year younger than him.
Friends and family remembered Alway, born November 7, 2008, as very smart, adventurous and daring, with some of his father's sarcasm and his mother's adventurous spirit, the report notes. His family is largely from the Apple Valley area. Alway had planned to go swimming with his friends that day, and his mother had told him to be safe because it was hot outside.
Rocco has organized a GoFundMe, available at tinyurl.com/loganalway, to help the family with funeral expenses, counseling and general bills. As of Tuesday morning, the campaign had raised over $7,200 toward a $40,000 goal, according to Bring Me The News.
Specialized Dive Team Handled Recovery
The recovery effort relied on Goodhue County's specialized water unit. The county's Sheriff's Office Dive/Rescue Team consists of six divers and seven tenders trained in underwater search, rescue and recovery operations across county waterways, and the team also assists neighboring jurisdictions in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to information published by Goodhue County.
The Cannon River has a history of claiming lives in strong currents. A 40-year-old St. Paul fisherman died in the river near Welch; his body was later spotted by canoeists about half a mile downstream, per FOX 9. And following a May 2024 water rescue on the river, Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas warned that the waterway is littered with unseen underwater debris — including trees downed during 2018 tornadoes — that create persistent hazards for swimmers and paddlers, as Hoodline previously reported after nine people, including six juveniles, had to be rescued when their canoes became snagged on submerged trees near Faribault. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources describes the Cannon River below Cannon Falls as entering a broad gorge flanked by bluffs up to 300 feet high. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, a Cannon River segment has wooded shorelines, a moderate current and few rapids, with water levels usually sufficient for canoeing except during very dry conditions.
Drownings Remain a Persistent Problem Statewide
Alway's death adds to a grim statewide tally. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources data reported by FOX 9 showed the state recorded 42 non-boating drownings in 2023, following 30 in 2022 and 53 in 2021. More recent figures list 46 non-boating drownings and 9 boating fatalities in 2024, while overall boating fatalities dropped to 7 in 2025. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' 2023 Minnesota Boating Accident and Drowning Summary, non-boating drowning victims included 16 people ages 61 years and older and nine people ages 18–25.
Reports noted water temperatures of 86 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in several lakes and the Mississippi River. Historical summaries published by Bull Moose Patrol discuss the Cannon River.
