Body Of Second Missing FDL Man Recovered

The body of the second missing Fond du Lac man was recovered Thursday afternoon in Lake Winnebago. Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt released the following press release regarding the recovery:

Date:  April 1, 2021

Incident:  Closure to Lake Winnebago Water Recovery

Authority:  Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt

Today sheriff and DNR search teams redeployed to a location where late yesterday, sonar devices had produced an image that required further investigation.  This image location was marked last night, however deploying divers into the water after dark was determined to be too risky for a recovery attempt for multiple reasons.  This location was approximately 150 yards from where the victim was recovered yesterday, and the water was approximately 8 feet deep.  Sheriff’s Office divers deployed into the water this afternoon and recovered an adult male matching the description of the other missing victim.  The victim was transported back to shore and turned over to investigators from the Medical Examiner’s Office.  The ME’s Office will work with family members to confirm the identity of the victim located today. 

Although bittersweet, we hope that successfully locating both victims of this tragedy will offer the opportunity for proper burial and help provide closure for family and friends.  A large group of family and friends have gathered daily on the shoreline of Lake Winnebago in support of our efforts, and have shown immense patience and gratitude for the deputies and wardens who worked diligently this week to recover their loved ones.  The Sheriff’s Office will complete its investigation in conjunction with the Medical Examiner’s Office, who will release a cause of death determination at a later time.

The victim recovered yesterday was positively identified as Dakota Goldapske, and the victim recovered today is presumed to be Michael Gohde.        

Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt