Empty fishing boat going in circles leads to discovery of 2 bodies, Wisconsin cops say

The bodies of two men were discovered in a Wisconsin river hours after a fishing boat was found empty, cops say.

The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office said someone reported seeing a fishing boat going in circles at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, on the St. Croix River. That boat, authorities said, was determined to be empty.

A witness said they spotted a body near the boat, but deputies were initially unable to find anyone in the water, the sheriff’s office said.

The body of one man was found by a diving team nearly three hours later, according to the sheriff. The second body was located at 6 p.m.

It’s unclear how the men ended up in the water. They were identified Wednesday as 51-year-old Demetrius Kekedakis and 65-year-old Perry Montpetit.

Sheriff’s officials said the 18-foot fishing boat was found 650 yards from the shoreline in an area where the water is 30 to 40 feet deep.

St. Croix County is about 50 miles northeast of Minneapolis.

This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 7:25 AM with the headline "Empty fishing boat going in circles leads to discovery of 2 bodies, Wisconsin cops say."