The bodies of two Chicago-area kayakers who weren’t wearing life jackets and went missing Aug. 1 in the Lake Michigan waters off Washington Island were found the morning of Aug. 3, the day after operations to locate the pair transitioned from a search effort to a recovery effort.
The body of David Thalman, 20, of Dundee, Illinois, was found at about 10:55 a.m., a joint news release from the Door County Sheriff’s Office and Washington Island Police Department said. Shortly after, recovery personnel found the body of Francesca Warick, 20, of South Elgin, Illinois.
Washington Island police were dispatched at 6:48 p.m. Aug. 1 to the area of Wickman Drive following a report that two people went out on kayaks, without life jackets, and had not returned. Officers initiated a water search that included drone assistance, in collaboration with local fire departments, according to a department news release posted on Facebook.
The U.S. Coast Guard was involved in water and ground searches Saturday night and early in the morning of Aug. 2 but suspended its operations around 10:45 a.m. that day. The Door County Sheriff’s Office then assumed command during the day Aug. 2 as the operation transitioned from search to recovery.
The recovery operation saw personnel from the Gibraltar Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources join Island police and personnel from the sheriff’s office work together in the area where the two kayakers were last known to have been.
Also assisting were members of the Washington Island, Egg Harbor, Ephraim, Sister Bay/Liberty Grove and Jacksonport fire departments, Gibraltar K-9 Search Team, and Door County Emergency Management, along with many volunteers who dedicated time and resources during both the search and recovery efforts, the news release said.
The incident remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Two Chicago-area kayakers who went missing off Door County found dead
Reporting by Christopher Clough, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Christopher Clough, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
