Winnebago River Missing Male Update
On Friday March 27th 2020 at 12:12 p.m. the Worth County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of a male subject that was missing in the Winnebago river. First responders, responded to the address of 342nd St in between Finch & Grose Ave. where the reporting party was located. He stated him and the male Adam D. Vansyoc 43 y/o of Mason City, were fishing in a boat when it became entangled in cables that were across the river. It has been learned that these cables were from an old foot bridge that was put in many years ago. Search efforts were started to locate Vansyoc shortly after arrival, which included the Iowa State patrol aircraft with a fleer to locate any type of heat signature from the river, boats from the Iowa Department of Natural Resource, Clear Lake Fire department, and Ventura fire departments. These boats are capable of doing sonar in the water to locate any objects. Clear Lake Fire department also put an underwater drone in the water also to try and locate Vansyoc. Searchers from Hanlontown and Fertile fire department along with K-9’s were deployed to try and locate Vansyoc along the banks. After the Iowa State Patrol Aircraft searched through the air a drone was put in the air from the Worth County IT department. These efforts to try and locate Vansyoc were run until dark which were unsuccessful in locating him.
On Saturday March 28th 2020 at 7:00 a.m. search efforts were resumed to try and locate Vansyoc. Divers from the Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue were deployed to the incident scene to try and locate Vansyoc in downed trees in the water, but swift moving waters prevented them from getting to the area. Boats were put back on the water with sonar to search the banks along with searcher’s walking the banks, but the main task of the morning was to remove the cables of the old foot bridge so boats could pass through the area to check the downed trees at the incident site. Searching continued to dark which were unsuccessful in locating Vansyoc.
On Sunday March 29th 2020 at 7:00 a.m. search efforts were resumed this morning for Vansyoc. The Department of Natural Resource command center would like to remind anyone considering being on or around the river with rapidly changing and high water levels are dangerous and deserves a person’s up most respect, any small mistakes can be catastrophic in these conditions. Recovery efforts will continue with the Department of Natural Resources monitoring the river.
Agencies assisting the Worth County Sheriff’s Office at the scene have been the Iowa State patrol, Iowa State patrol aircraft, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Hanlontown, Fertile, Northwood, Clear Lake, and Ventura fire Departments, Forest City Ambulance, Worth County Emergency Management, Worth County IT, Mercy Air Med, Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue, POET bio-refinery, Worth County Sheriff’s Reserves.
