Local Authorities Join Search For Missing 13-Year-Old Boy

PORTAGE, WI — Authorities in Milwaukee County have joined in the search for a 13-year-old boy who reportedly went missing Sunday after going swimming with family members in Silver Lake.

According to the Columbia County Sheriff's office, police in Portage received a call that the boy went under the water near the Silver Lake boat landing and then went missing at about 6 p.m. Sunday.

Officials said that the search for the boy was transitioned from a search-and-resuce mission to a search-and-recovery mission by Monday morning. Officials also said that though there were lifeguards staffed at the beach at the time of the boy's disappearance, the boy went missing away from the beach area.

In the meantime, authorities in the area closed all access to Silver Lake in Portage. Property owners were asked also to stay off the water until the search has reached its conclusion.

Columbia County and Sauk County divers went in shifts, patrolling in a pattern over their search area in an attempt to locate the boy in the murky waters of Silver Lake. Complicating matters were multiple rounds of storms over the area late Monday, which caused search efforts to be postponed.

By Tuesday morning, Milwaukee County officials joined the search effort, bringing with them an advanced sonar detection apparatus that can scan underwater. Divers also resumed their search Tuesday morning.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, a submersible craft equipped with a camera and sonar has been provided by the Department of Natural Resources, drones are being used to fly over the lake and nearby woods, and a search dog from the Dane County Sheriff's Office is also assisting in the search and recovery effort.

Image Via Portage Police Department