OREGON – The body of one of the two men who went missing in the Rock River when their boat capsized near the dam in Oregon on Nov. 20 was located Thursday, but officials were unable to recover it.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the body was located about a mile south of the dam in Oregon Thursday night. They tried to use a remotely operated vehicle and divers to recover the body, but the high flow of the current made recovery impossible, he said.
“The water was too fast, they couldn’t get to the bottom,” VanVickle said.
They also dragged the river in that spot but were not successful. On Friday morning, they started using sonar again on the river in search of the bodies.
The fishing boat was initially found at about 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 20 upside down on the west side of the river near the dam. VanVickle said a truck and trailer were found at Castle Rock which were used to haul the boat. He said officials have been in contact with the families, but no names were released by Friday morning.
The initial search included boats from the Oregon Fire Department and Dixon Fire Department.
VanVickle said it is early in the investigation, so there is no clear answer as to how the boat capsized. But he said it might have gotten too close the dam and flipped over.
He also praised the response to the incident, noting that five counties were involved in the search the first day, and four the second.
“It’s just been a great team effort,” VanVickle said.
