DNR Closes Mill Pond to look for Fourth Body

The Department of Natural Resources temporarily is closing Mill Pond -- the Lake Beulah area of Sunday’s fatal canoe incident in Walworth County -- for the purposes of the ongoing investigation, DNR Recreational Safety Warden Jason Roberts said today.

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The closing of this area – also known as Mill Pond Lake of Lake Beulah – will be enforced by the Town of East Troy Police Department. The DNR and local authorities thank the public for its cooperation in honoring this temporary closure to allow the ongoing  investigation to continue.

DNR Warden Roberts also said today the dive search resumed this morning for the body of the fourth man of the four individuals involved in this January 3 incident.

“Divers are continuing to focus search efforts near the locations where the other victims were recovered,” Roberts said, adding the equipment being used by emergency personnel includes sonar.  “The freezing and thawing of ice has made recovery efforts a challenge. Plus, there is  a significant amount of weed coverage off the shoreline area in which recovery efforts are focused.”

Roberts said recovery efforts will continually be evaluated on an hourly and daily basis.  Ice thickness is 1-1.5” thick along and out from shore with some pockets of open water throughout the lake.