Since historic floods washed over Milwaukee nearly two weeks ago, two men from the same homeless encampment along the Kinnickinnic River have been found drowned and at least two more are missing.
Despite calls from family members and homeless advocates, the Milwaukee Police Department said it will not launch an active search for the men until it receives more evidence that they were swept away in the floods.
“MPD has not received any credible information that these individuals were swept by the water,” a department spokesperson said in an email Aug. 22. “We do not speculate and cannot determine that without having a witness provide us with information that they were swept by the water.”
Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s office said decisions to launch search efforts lie with emergency services.
“The Mayor’s administration is aware of these reports, and certainly saddened by the loss of life and concerned about the safety of these individuals,” said spokesperson Jeff Fleming in a message Aug. 22.
“As with all reports of missing people, we rely on our emergency services and their expertise to deploy the appropriate resources to locate people whose location is unknown,” he added.
So far, authorities have deemed just one of the two deaths as possibly flood-related.
The body of Juan Carlos Sierra Campos, 48, was recovered from Lake Michigan around 10:37 a.m. on Aug. 10. The Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said Campos’ death didn’t “appear to be flood-related” but that they were still investigating.
At a news conference at noon that day, the mayor reported there were no flood-related deaths within the city. Fleming said the mayor was unaware of the Campos’ death at the time.
Three days later, the body of 72-year-old Isaias Serna was recovered from the Kinnickinnic River. In an email, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said his death was possibly related to the floods.
Organizers from MiniStreets Urban Christian Outreach Mission told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Campos and Serna lived at the same encampment, along with at least two other people who are all missing since the floods.
Linda Alvarado, co-founder of MiniStreets Urban Christian Outreach Mission, said Campos was present during the outreach group’s most recent weekly visit on Aug. 8, where they gave the men food, water and clothes.
The encampment, under the bridge at the intersection of South Chase Avenue and South 1st Street, is on the banks of the Kinnickinnic River. The river empties into Lake Michigan.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not respond to questions about how it made the determination that Campos’ drowning was not flood-related. His body was found in Lake Michigan within “the time frame of the flood,” according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Miguel Flores, 59, is among the three men who are still missing. He lived at the encampment for the past three years, according to Arturo Vazquez, Flores’ nephew.
His family reported him missing to the police Aug. 14. The family suspects the entire encampment was washed out by the surging river on Aug. 9, as Flores and the other men slept.
The Milwaukee Police Department does not consider Flores “critically” missing — a label reserved for certain vulnerable groups, such as children, that would trigger a more active search.
People who are reported missing following disasters — such as drownings or explosions — can also be considered “critically” missing, according to the Milwaukee Police Department’s standard operating procedure.
However, a department spokesperson said Flores does not qualify because nobody “observed him being swept away by the water.”
Alvarado, from the mission group, said another man she knows only as “Pedro” also lived at the encampment and hasn’t been seen since the flood.
“My heart is in my throat,” Alvarado said. “We need to find them.”
Local business owners mobilize to help find missing people
With growing concern, MiniStreets Urban Christian Outreach Mission reached out to Brew City Kayak for help on Aug. 22.
Rather than waste more time, Michael Fischer, owner of Brew City Kayak, rounded up four kayaks and took to the Kinnikinnic River to search.
“We hope we can find Miguel and help his family find some peace,” Fischer told a reporter over the phone, while paddling past Barnacle Bud’s.
He was joined by Derek Collins of the Milwaukee Pedal and Paddle Tavern, who rented a 22-foot electric Milwaukee Duffy boat to assist.
For hours, the group traveled upriver, starting from the Chase Avenue bridge. Their plan was to continue until they hit a current, then turn back downriver.
They plan to renew their efforts at a community-led search on Aug. 23 at 9 a.m., again starting from the bridge.
“When tragedy hits the Milwaukee area, it’s important for the community to come together and help each other out,” Fischer said.
(This story has been updated to add information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two men found dead after floods were from same homeless encampment, MPD not launching search for missing
Reporting by Gina Lee Castro, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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