Authorities from multiple agencies are continuing their search efforts Thursday for a Burlington-area man who went missing while boating on the Mississippi River near Cassville, Wis. on Saturday.
According to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa, authorities believe the man is John Roe, 56, but deferred further questions to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which is leading the investigation.
An online crowd-funding page, meanwhile, indicated the Roe family is grieving while authorities continue searching for him.
“On Saturday, October 6th a tragedy struck the Roe family in Cassville, WI,” the post states. “John Roe (resident of Cassville, WI and Burlington, WI), a son, father and brother to many went missing on the Mississippi river while fishing.”
Before he was reported missing, the Iowa DNR wrote in a news release the Cassville Fire Department responded to a call of an unattended boat spinning in circles in the main channel north of the Cassville Ferry Landing.
Firefighters, the DNR said, rammed the circling boat and pulled the safety lanyard to stop the motor.
The boat came to rest on the shoreline north of Cassville.
Authorities later received a call about a 56-year-old man who 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 lifejacket.
Authorities searched the area on Saturday and Sunday but were unable to locate the man.
At the time of the search, according to online news sources, the Iowa area was under severe weather, including multiple tornado warnings, heavy rainfall and flooding.
Officials resumed the search this week, with assistance from more agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several local fire departments, and U.S. Coast Guard.
“Due to the intense river conditions and heavy rainfall, rescue and recovery efforts are dangerous and require special sonar equipment and personnel,” his online crowd-funding GoFundMe page states.
Christian Aid Ministries of Illinois, the Iowa DNR reports, arrived the area with specialized water recovery equipment, like a command trailer, rescue boats with SONAR and underwater surveillance tools.
Roe’s GoFundMe page, which states Christian Aid Ministries operates solely on donations, said proceeds will go to helping the organization.
“This equipment and team of efforts working to bring peace to all those touched by John operates solely on donations,” the GoFundMe page states.
The Standard Press is awaiting further information, including the status of the search, from the Iowa DNR as of Thursday.
Other agencies assisting in the search include the Wisconsin DNR, Iowa State Patrol, Wisconsin State Patrol, Guttenberg Fire Department (Iowa), Guttenberg Police Department (Iowa), Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Glen Haven Fire Department.
“Although we do not have many answers to John’s disappearance, and his whereabouts remain unknown, hope remains within us all,” the GoFundMe page states. “As we pray for a miracle return, it is with deep sadness that after days of searching, we recognize the recovery efforts underway in Grant County to bring John home.”
As the family awaits the outcome, they are grateful for the support, including donations to Christian Aid Ministries.
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