The body of a 51-year-old Kinnelon man was found by rescue volunteers and West Milford police in the woods of the Apshawa Preserve Saturday night after the dog he had gone hiking with earlier that day led authorities to him.

The man, Bjoern Waalberg, was dead when police arrived on the scene just after 7 p.m. when they were notified by Waalberg's wife that he had not returned home, Lt. John Matarese of the West Milford Police Department, said. The cause of his death is still under investigation and Matarese could not comment on whether Waalberg's death appears to be suspicious.

Matarese said Waalberg's wife had asked officers to check the parking area of the Preserve for her husband's vehicle. The Apshawa Preserve parking area is located in the southern portion of West Milford, near Highcrest Drive and Macopin Road.

The car was found in the parking area and Matarese said the West Milford Search and Rescue Team was notified and sent out to look for Waalberg. Volunteers found a dog, a Labrador retriever, that the wife reported had gone hiking with her husband, although Waalberg had not gone with any other people, Matarese said.

"The dog was located and the dog actually led the officers to the victim," Matarese said.

Kinnelon police were in communication with West Milford police during the search, Matarese said. The investigation is now being handled by the West Milford Police Department Detective Bureau.