Missing Person: Kevin Ayotte — Sugarbush

Alert details

10/23/2026

Kevin Ayotte has been missing from Sugarbush, Minnesota, since September 30, 1982. He was 3 years old when he disappeared. The photograph and physical description describe Kevin as a child at the time of his disappearance.

Kevin was last seen at approximately 4:45 p.m., playing upstairs in his family’s summer cabin in a remote area off Highway 20. His mother briefly went outside. When she returned, Kevin and the family’s six-month-old Springer Spaniel puppy, Flash, were gone. His older brother was still inside the cabin.

Family members and neighbors searched the area before Kevin was reported missing to police at approximately 7:00 p.m. Kevin had wandered away before but had returned after a short time.

An extensive nine-day search found no sign of Kevin. Neither his shoes nor his disposable diaper was located, although he reportedly had a habit of removing them. Kevin has developmental disabilities and a hearing impairment and had limited to no speech at the time. Those impairments may have prevented him from responding to searchers calling nearby.

Flash returned on October 5, 1982. Investigators examined the puppy’s coat, and a veterinarian checked its stomach contents, finding swamp grass but no other reported food. Police later fitted Flash with a tracking collar and released it in hopes it would lead them to Kevin. The puppy repeatedly returned home.

The surrounding area is wooded and boggy. The account provided describes a possibility that Kevin became lost in that terrain, but his fate has not been established. The case information lists his disappearance as a non-family abduction; that classification does not establish what happened to him.

Kevin has two older brothers. His parents were divorced, and his father lived in Minneapolis at the time of the disappearance.

If you have information about Kevin’s disappearance or whereabouts, contact the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office at 218-751-9111. Call 911 for an emergency or an immediate sighting. Sharing his information may help it reach someone who knows something about the case.

Source: Missing-person case information and photograph provided to Minnesota Now. Investigating agency listed: Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

Missing-person details

Name

Kevin Ayotte

Age

3 years old at disappearance

Date of birth

05/12/1979

Last seen date/time

09/30/1982, approximately 4:45 p.m.

Last seen location

Family summer cabin off Highway 20, Sugarbush, Minnesota

Description and identifying details

Height

4 feet 0 inches, as listed at disappearance

Weight

50 pounds, as listed at disappearance

Hair

Blond

Eyes

Blue

Clothing

Checkered shirt, blue jeans, lace-up sneakers and a disposable diaper

Identifying marks

Scar on the right side of his chin; cleft chin

Contact information

Contact agency

Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office

Contact phone

218-751-9111

Additional details

Classification

Non-Family Abduction, as listed in the supplied case information

Sex

Male

Race

White

Medical and communication information

Developmental disabilities and hearing impairment; severe speech impairment, with limited to no speech at disappearance

Current age

47 as of 10/23/2026, based on date of birth

Photo

Childhood photograph; not age-progressed