Authorities recovered the body of a man who had been missing after a boat crash on Lake Superior Sunday morning.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office identified the 57-year-old man as William Linster of Superior.
Authorities said in a news release that the U.S. Coast Guard notified the agency at 7:30 a.m. Sunday that it was searching for a partially submerged boat that had been reported. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad recovered Linster’s body from a 21-foot Maxum boat with the aid of a remotely operated vehicle about a half mile from the entry to Superior’s harbor.
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Linster had been boating with a friend before dropping the individual off at the dock around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The victim then returned to spend the night on the water.
Authorities said evidence and debris indicate a significant crash took place. Douglas County Sheriff Matt Izzard said the boat collided with the breakwall at the entry to the Superior harbor, adding there’s no indication that anyone else was involved in the crash.
The official cause of death has yet to be released pending an autopsy.
While authorities were on scene, the boat sank to the bottom and remains submerged in about 40 feet of water. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it’s finalizing plans to remove the boat later this week.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident. They include the U.S. Coast Guard, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Superior/Douglas County Dive Rescue team.
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