MCGREGOR, Iowa – Iowa DNR Conservation Officers are searching for a missing boater believed to have gone missing on Saturday, Oct. 6 in the Mississippi River near Pool 11.
The Cassville Fire Department responded to a call of a boat spinning in circles in the main channel north of the Cassville Ferry Landing. Firefighters were able to ram the circling boat and pull the safety lanyard to stop the motor. The boat came to rest on the shoreline north of Cassville.
Later, a call was received that a 56 year old man from Burlington, Wisconsin was believed to be boating by himself and had gone missing. Investigators believe the man likely fell out of the boat and was not wearing a personal flotation device.
Searches were conducted throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday before being called off without locating the man. This week searches have continued between the Iowa DNR, USFWS and local fire departments as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.
Christian Aid Ministries of Illinois have converged on the area with specialized water recovery efforts including a command trailer, rescue boats with SONAR equipment and underwater surveillance tools and will be conducting searches.
These search and response efforts are in conjunction with many agencies including the Iowa DNR, Wisconsin DNR, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Wisconsin State Patrol, Guttenberg Fire Department, Guttenberg Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Glen Haven Fire Department, and the Cassville Fire Department.