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ADAMS COUNTY, Wis. - A man appears to have drowned in an Adams County lake after trying to rescue an injured eagle, the sheriff's office said.
Man reported missing
What we know:
The Adams County Sheriff's Office said it received a report of a missing person at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24. The caller told dispatchers that a man had gone missing from the Browndeer Drive boat launch on Petenwell Lake.
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Dispatchers learned that the man had been missing since leaving home around 5 p.m. Tuesday. He had gone fishing near the boat launch and saw an injured eagle in the water and called the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and a raptor rescue facility, both of which said they would respond the next morning. The man returned home and told a family member he was going to go rescue the eagle, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies went to the boat launch and found the man's locked vehicle. There was also nearby equipment that could be used to rescue an injured animal. Authorities used drones, watercraft and a ground search to find the missing man.
Petenwell Lake is roughly 100 miles northwest of Madison.
Body found
What we know:
The sheriff's office said the body of 72-year-old Robert Marti of Necedah was found at around 6:15 p.m. on June 24, just offshore. Investigators found a large fishing net and eagle feathers near the body. He was not wearing a life jacket.
The investigation revealed Marti became stuck in underwater debris just offshore, and that is where he drowned.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Adams County Sheriff's Office.