Town of Linn---A 60 year-old fisherman died after apparently plunging through thin ice on Geneva Lake.
The body of Michael Zielinski was recovered by police and fire department personnel late Tuesday after the Linn Police Dept. deployed its drone which is equipped with a camera and infra-red sensor.
According to a news release, Zielinski's wife became worried Tuesday morning when she couldn't reach her husband by phone. He'd left well before dawn to go fishing, and had parked his truck at the Linn Pier Boat Launch.
The woman contacted police just before 4 p.m. after noticing that the ice on the lake was cracked and had several areas of open water. Zielinski's unoccupied truck was still parked at the boat launch.
Within four minutes after sending its drone out over the lake, officers detected a faint heat signature in the water less than a-quarter mile from shore. A closer look revealed a floating body.
The City of Lake Geneva Fire Department launched its air boat and, with the help of Linn Fire Dept. divers, recovered Zielinski's body and brought it to shore. Just after 5 p.m., Zielinski was pronounced dead by a physician who had gone to the scene.
This is the second time that the Linn Police Department's three-month old drone has been used in a water-related search, according to Police Dept. Capt. James Bushey. In December, the drone was used to spot a point in Lake Como where a man had fallen in. The location's coordinates were noted, enabling emergency personnel to return the next day to the exact location to resume its search and recover the body.
The department recently purchased an attachment that'll enable operators to drag and drop a life preserver to anyone found to be in trouble.
Bushey says the $7,000 drone was purchased late last year after Officer Ryan Halsted took an interest in the technology and attended a training session specifically designed for law enforcement agencies.
Drones are gaining in popularity among fire and police agencies, Bushey said.
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