Former Tourism Head was Hunting When He Died

LAKE ANDES, S.D. (AP) — The brother-in-law of former South Dakota Tourism Secretary Richard Benda says Benda was hunting when he died.

Benda was found dead of a gunshot wound Tuesday in a grove of trees near Lake Andes, in southeastern South Dakota. Authorities are investigating his death.

Brother-in-law Jim Johanneson was the one who found Benda's body. He tells The Daily Republic newspaper that Benda had been hunting pheasants.

Johanneson's brother, Ray, says the family doesn't know if Benda was hunting alone or had someone with him. He declined to speculate on the cause of Benda's death.

Benda was South Dakota's secretary of tourism and state development from 2006 to 2010.

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