WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Wis. -- Authorities have found the two female boaters previously missing from a Saturday night boating crash. Both were deceased.
Their identities were confirmed, but will not be released at this time.
The investigation is in the preliminary stages and is ongoing.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office reports that they responded to Lake Winnebago in the Town of Vinland just after 8:30 p.m Saturday.
They say a boat carrying four people crashed with another boat that had two people. Two women and a dog were thrown into the water from the boat that had four people. The other two people in the boat were treated with serious injuries.
Authorities said the missing people are two women in their 20’s.
n the second boat, the two people on board were treated on shore, but we do not know the extent of their injuries.
"At some point a dive operation turns from a rescue into a recovery, and we would consider this a recovery phase," Captain Lara Vendola-Messer said.
As crews searched on Sunday, neighbors around the area tried to process what had happened.
"It's tragic," Jim Nagle said. "As a father and as a parent of three children, we have a son who's in between our daughters, you can only think the saddest thoughts possible and that's how I feel at the moment."
"It's just devastating," Lidiya Trusova said. "It's really sad to see something horrible occur right in front of your eyes."
Police do not believe that drugs or alcohol are a factor in the crash.
