A man reported missing Monday night was found dead in the Missouri River Tuesday afternoon.

Samuel Quainoo, 21, apparently drowned while swimming with friends Monday night.

Burleigh County Sheriff's Lt. Nick Sevart said Quainoo had been swimming with two friends near the sandbar behind Sertoma Park. The friends saw him in the river around 7:30 p.m., but he wasn't there the next time they looked, Sevart said.

The Burleigh County Dive Rescue and Recovery Team recovered Quainoo's body around 3:45 p.m. near the area where he was last seen, Sevart said. Authorities kept people away from the Fox Island boat ramp as the body was brought to shore.

Sgt. Steve Hall said the dive team was part of a multi-agency effort to find Quainoo on Tuesday. A North Dakota Game and Fish boat with side-scan sonar spotted something in the water, and divers found Quainoo in that area.

Quainoo's friends reported him missing around 9 p.m. Monday. They initially thought he swam farther down the river and would return on foot, but they called for help when he did not come back, Sevart said.

He said the dive team began diving Tuesday near Sertoma Park after officers could not contact Quainoo at his home or work.

Officials could not immediately say when the last drowning in the Bismarck-Mandan area was, though it appears to have been several years ago.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)