Overview
- The Adams County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 72-year-old Robert R. Marti and closed the search after recovering his body just offshore on Wednesday evening.
- Marti had told family he saw an injured eagle while fishing the day before and called the Wisconsin DNR and a raptor rescue that said they would respond the next morning.
- Deputies found Marti’s locked vehicle at the Browndeer Drive boat launch and used drones, watercraft, and a ground search to locate him around 6:15 p.m.
- Investigators reported a large fishing net and eagle feathers near the scene, noted Marti was not wearing a life jacket, and concluded he became stuck in underwater debris and drowned.
- Local coverage links the death to growing concern about lake hazards after other drownings in June and suggests officials and residents may step up water-safety warnings this season.