Mark Graham Search
Mark’s fishing boat was reported to be running in circles in the middle of Little Lake Buttes des Mortes in Menasha, WI. On Saturday April 1st, we were notified through social media about the missing man from the previous Monday. After seeing they were unable to locate the man, I reached out to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department and did not receive a return call. I then reached out to the Wisconsin DNR to assist and they welcomed our help.
Early Tuesday morning Dave Whitehouse, a Bruce’s Legacy Board Member and firefighter, and I traveled to Menasha. We met with local authorities and the Mark’s family. After 1 ½ hours of running sonar, we did locate a very promising image. The WI DNR then put their ROV (remote operated vehicle) on the image and verified that it was the subject. The Winnebago County Dive Team recovered the body a short time later.
We were pleased to have a member of the DNR and the Winnebago Sheriff’s Office deputy, on the boat with us while on the search. I hope that they are more likely to invite our skills for these types of searches in the future. The departments get bombarded from the public with offers to help in these situations. I have come to understand that it will not always be easy for municipalities to seek assistance, but for the welfare of the families it can be imperative to know when to we should work together.