Police in Fort Madison suspect a Keokuk man is dead after he fell through the ice on the Mississippi River and was never found. Fort Madison police received a report early Sunday morning that 22-year-old Ray Charles Newell Dean had fallen through the ice 100 feet from shore near Riverview Park.
Officials say a search commenced using a flat bottomed, fan propellored jon boat to deal with the ice. The search was suspended the search around 5:30 a.m. due to a concern that ice chunks floating in the river would overturn the boat. A search resumed at sunrise but operations were eventually terminated at 8:30 a.m. with no success in locating Dean.
He had been walking along the bank with a friend, who stayed on shore and placed the 911 call. Why he was walking along the river or on the ice remains unclear. Police say residents, businesses, and emergency officials down river will be notified of the possibility of a body in the water.
Bryan Nichols,KBUR Burlington