One dead, three missing after boat sinks near Alcatraz
A tragic incident unfolded near San Francisco’s iconic Alcatraz Island when a boat capsized, resulting in one fatality and leaving three individuals unaccounted for. The mishap involved a 49-foot cabin cruiser carrying 20 people to a memorial service. Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan reports that rough seas likely contributed to the vessel overturning. Multiple agencies are engaged in a large-scale search and rescue effort in the chilly waters, while authorities strive to determine the precise cause of the accident.
Earlier this week, authorities recovered the bodies of a young Illinois couple who vanished during a kayaking excursion on Lake Michigan, near a notorious strait called Death’s Door in Wisconsin. The find brought some closure to a tragic story.
David Thalman and Francesca Warick, both aged 20, were discovered Monday morning in the vicinity of Washington Island, following their disappearance over the weekend. The Door County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Washington Island Police Department, released this somber news in a public statement.
Washington Island is positioned opposite the Door Peninsula. Adventurous kayakers setting out from the peninsula must navigate Death’s Door strait, infamous for its choppy waters, to reach the island.
Investigators suspect that neither Thalman nor Warick was wearing a life jacket at the time of their disappearance.
David Thalman and Francesca Warick’s bodies were found after they went missing on a kayaking trip. (David Thalman/Facebook)
Hundreds of shipwrecks are believed to have happened in the notorious strait since the 19th century.
The Door County Sheriff’s Office said it had assumed command of the search after it turned into a recovery operation on Sunday.
Jane Lee, broker-owner of a RE/MAX office in Chicago suburb Lake Bluff, told FOX 32 that Thalman was a great employee.
“You don’t see a lot of young people like that anymore today,” she said. “He’s very focused, always on time. We trust him 100 percent.”
She said his family has a cabin on Washington Island and she started to get worried when he hadn’t answered her calls and texts about work after he left for the weekend.
Authorities don’t believe Thalman and Warick were wearing life jackets when they went missing. (Madelaine Marie/Facebook)
“That moment I did worry,” she said, adding that when her office heard the news, “We all cried. Everybody was in shock.”
She added, “We feel a huge loss.”
Warick, a twin, “brought joy to everyone around her,” according to her obituary.
A view from Washington Island, Wisconsin. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“She was a bright, happy, and free-spirited young woman whose beautiful smile and kind heart left a lasting impression on all who knew her. She loved her family deeply and treasured every moment spent with them.”
Authorities said the couple likely drowned. Their deaths remain under investigation.