Missing Lake Winnebago Canoeists Identified

Day two of an extensive recovery effort on Lake Winnebago was continued Tuesday with still no sign of the two missing Fond du Lac men. Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt identified the two men as Dakota Goldapske and Michael Gohde, both 21-year-old males from Fond du Lac.

The Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin DNR watercraft equipped with side-scan and down-scan sonar imaging, a WI DNR fixed wing aircraft, and a large drone were all used Tuesday.  The recovery effort focused on an area in the southwest corner of Lake Winnebago where the GPS coordinates from the cellular 911 calls were located, as well as GPS coordinates of the partially submerged canoe and other debris that was located during last night’s rescue efforts. 

Wind conditions remained strong Tuesday, with sustained winds in excess of 20mph gusting to 35mph, slowing the search process.  The Sheriff’s Office will continue search and recovery missions in coming days, in an effort to return the victims to their families, and will provide an update if the victims are located. 

Sheriff Waldschmidt said “We also appreciate the messages from community members who have reached out to offer their support and concern for the work of so many emergency personnel assisting with this incident, and we express our condolences to the victim’s friends and family who have remained with us on shore during our efforts both yesterday and today.”

The search with additional watercraft and technology is planned for Wednesday.