Town of Linn Police using a drone equipped with an infrared camera located the body of Linn resident in Geneva Lake Tuesday after he was reported missing by his wife.
Michael Zielinski was pronounced dead at 5:04 p.m. after divers from the Linn Fire Department, with assistance from the City of Lake Geneva’s airboat, recovered his body and brought it back to shore, according to a news release issued by Linn Police Capt. James Bushey.
Zielinski’s wife, Linda, reported him missing at 3:34 p.m. after repeated attempts to call his cell phone and search for him along the shoreline failed. Linda Zielinski told police her husband left to go fishing about 3 a.m. and his phone went straight to voicemail sometime after 7 a.m.
Linn police immediately sent their drone skyward in an attempt to find Zielinski and within four minutes, according to the release, had located a “faint heat signature” in the water.
Zielinski’s body was found floating near his fishing equipment about 1,036 feet from the south shore of the lake, just northwest of the Linn fishing pier, the release said.
Police warned people to stay off the ice due to the recent stretch of warm weather.
It’s a shame and My Condolences to his Wife and Family ..
A lot can be said about this avoidable mistake but, I maybe wrong, but I think it all starts with opportunity by allowing our Towns and Townships Boat Launches/Piers to be left open over the winters.
Both Linn and Lake Geneva’s and same goes for the others in Williams Bay should be barricaded off until the ice is thick enough to be safe to walk on let alone drive a vehicle on it. I understand it must be 5 inches thick to walk on it and 10 inches or more to operate a vehicle on it. In any case some kind of regulations should be covering these launches and piers. Its a matter of Public Safety ..will it take our Governor to get involved? Or lawsuits? Didn’t we learn anything from last years fiasco in Lake Geneva? What a shame… RIP 😉