After the body of the man who went missing last Wednesday was found Sunday afternoon, another boater went missing in Lake Monona Monday night after capsizing with him and his family aboard.
The boater was identified Tuesday morning as David Fritz, 39 of Madison. According to a statement by Elise Schaffer, spokesperson for Dane County Sheriff’s Office, him, his wife and twin sons went boating on Lake Monona around 6:45 p.m. After an abrupt turn made by Fritz, the family was thrown into the water approximated 500 feet from the Olbrich Park boat launch.
After hearing cries for help, nearby boaters rescued the woman and two children, then immediately called 911. Both the children were wearing life jackets, though neither of the adults were, according to the statement.
Tuesday at 6:44 p.m., the Dane County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered a body from the lake who was later identified by the coroner’s office as the missing man, Fritz. The cause and manner of death are still under investigation, with an autopsy scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
The city of Madison’s MFD Lake Rescue Team actively searched throughout the night Monday starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 8:49 p.m. The SCUBA team completed seven dives in locations based off of witness accounts of where the man fell into the lake.
The search was hampered and ultimately stopped due to darkness and murky water; however, Marine and Trial Enforcement continued their search of the shoreline and water’s surface until 11:00 p.m. Monday night, resuming early this morning.
***
As for the man gone missing in Lake Monona on Sept. 9, the Dane County Communications Center received a report of a body floating on the western shore of Lake Monona at 2 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement from the Dane County Sheriff’s office.
The Dane County Coroner’s Office identified the man as missing boater Warren Roecker, 36.
Sgt. Mark Olson of the Dane County Sheriff’s Department said other boaters in the area spotted the body in the area where Roecker and fellow boater Terry A. Stehr, 41, went swimming Thursday night.
Olson said the preliminary results indicate the cause of death is consistent with drowning.
“[The Coroner’s Office] is doing an autopsy to determine the cause of death,” Olson said. “At this point, there is nothing to indicate anything suspicious, nothing that would raise our eyes as foul play.”
Stehr and Roecker went for a swim Sept. 9 while boating on the southwest corner of Lake Monona. After Stehr returned to the boat, he could not see or hear Roecker. Stehr was searching the lake with a spotlight when the city of Madison’s Lake Rescue Team came across the boat, responding to a 911 call from both Stehr and an onshore witness.
After an initial search for Roecker, the team handed over the search to the Dane County Sheriff’s Department dive team, who searched the area until nightfall Thursday.
Stehr was arrested for operating under the influence Thursday night and has had a previous OWI conviction.
— Matt Marx contributed to this report
