Overview
- Recovery teams located the bodies of two missing kayakers around 10:55 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 3, and identified them as 20-year-old David Thalman of Dundee, Illinois, and 20-year-old Franceska Warick of South Elgin, Illinois.
- Washington Island police were first called about the pair late Saturday after the two did not return from a daytime kayak trip, and officials say they went out without life jackets.
- Local police, fire and EMS units, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard and volunteer teams conducted water, drone and shoreline searches through the weekend before the operation shifted to recovery on Sunday.
- Authorities said drowning may be a primary cause of death and the Door County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation while extending condolences and thanking the many agencies and volunteers who assisted.
- The incident renews safety concerns for paddlers in the Death’s Door area where strong currents and changing conditions pose risks and experts urge wearing life jackets, filing a float plan, carrying waterproof communication devices, and practicing flotation techniques.