Missing Fisherman’s Kayak Found Days After His Disappearance in Wisconsin

A fisherman is missing in Wisconsin.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that 41-year-old Michael Iriarte’s kayak has been located after the fisherman was last seen Sunday around 3 p.m.

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Authorities were notified of Iriarte’s disappearance after the Winnebago County Emergency Management Center received a call about a missing kayaker on Butte Des Morts Lake in Omro at 5:40 p.m. Sunday. Iriarte’s family told the department that he did not return after launching his kayak in the Summers Bay area to go fishing near Terrell’s Island.

According to the sheriff’s office, Iriarte went fishing in a purple and white 10-foot recreational kayak, wearing a face mask and life jacket.

Generic photo of a lake in Wisconsin.

Getty

Deputies from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, along with their drone unit, began an “extensive search” for his whereabouts with the help of Omro Police, managers from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, EMS and firefighters from the Omro Rushford Fire Department.

The department said in its update that they searched for several hours on Terrell Island, Samers Bay and the Spring Brook area before calling off their efforts Sunday because “all available search efforts have been exhausted or proved ineffective.”

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A new search began Monday morning that included searching the coast on foot, by boat and by plane.

41-year-old Michael Iriarte.

Winnebago County Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office

Bill Martin told NBC 26 WGBA-TV he witnessed officials pull out the kayak after initially going to the scene to “check the ice for duck hunting conditions” which he planned to do the next day.

“I was looking through the binoculars looking for the ducks, and I saw them pull the purple and white kayak ashore and I kind of got sick to my stomach,” Martin said. “[I] I didn’t realize what was going on until I saw it. It’s a very painful feeling.”

“It’s somebody’s, you know, somebody’s son,” Martin told NBC 26. “I just wish the family the best. It’s hard, especially this time of year between the holidays.”

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Anyone with information that could assist in the search for Iriarte is encouraged to contact the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office at 920-236-7300, extension Zero or 911.

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Source: HIS Education