Washington Island authorities pulled the body of David Thalman from the cold water Monday morning. The 20-year-old from Dundee, Illinois, had been reported missing Saturday night after he and his friend set out on kayaks near Wickman Drive. They went out without life jackets, and the water took its toll fast.
First responders got the call around 6:48 p.m. Friday. They started a water search right away, using drones to scan the choppy lake. Fire crews from around Door County joined in, along with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Darkness forced some teams to stop Saturday night, but ground teams and the Coast Guard kept going into Sunday. The sheriff’s office took over recovery efforts then, working with the Washington Island Police, Gibraltar Police, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Thalman’s body came up at about 10:55 a.m. Monday. Just hours later, Franceska Warick’s body was found a short distance away. Both 20-year-olds from Illinois — one from South Elgin — are gone now.
The Door County Sheriff’s Office sent its deepest condolences to their families. “We are deeply saddened by this heartbreaking loss,” the office said in a statement. The investigation into what really happened out there is still moving forward.
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