×

Suspected drowning victim identified, search of Des Moines River continues

Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare, was last seen when his kayak capsized on Monday

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Members of the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue team, use their sonar to search for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare, on the Des Moines River just north of Duck Island. Dencklau went missing Monday in a Kayak accident just south of the Hydrolectric Dam in Fort Dodge.

As the search on the Des Moines River continues, officials have identified the victim of a Monday kayak accident south of the Hydroelectric Dam in Fort Dodge.

Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter identified the missing boater as Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare.

Dencklau was last seen when his kayak capsized below the dam. His wife, in another craft, was able to swim back to shore.

He said a family member found Dencklau’s kayak paddle in the river Wednesday south of the Fort Dodge Wastewater Treatment Plant. The kayaks were recovered earlier.

Firefighters had some help Wednesday with the search from members of the Christian Aid Ministry Search and Rescue Team. Based in Illinois, the team arrived with a boat early Wednesday.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Members of the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Team prepare to head out onto the Des Moines River to help with the search for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare, who disappeared after a Monday afternoon kayak accident south of the Hydroelectric Dam in Fort Dodge. Their boat is equiped with sonar imaging gear that lets them see under the water. They also have a command center where they can download the images for further study.

“They left Illinois at 4 a.m.,” Hergenreter said. “They were at the station at 8:30 this morning.”

The team brought a variety of high tech equipment to the search.

Its boat is equipped with high resolution sonar, he said. In addition, they have a lot of experience in searching.

“They bring a lot of experience,” he said. “For example, where are the best places to look.”

They also bring a trailer along with a variety of computer equipment in it that lets them review the images they recorded on the river.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Members of the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue team, use their sonar to search for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare, on the Des Moines River just north of Duck Island. Dencklau went missing Monday in a Kayak accident just south of the Hydrolectric Dam in Fort Dodge.

The team members are all volunteers, he said.

Wednesday’s search was concentrated between the Kenyon Road Bridge and the Hydroelectric Dam. In addition to the team from Illinois, the department also had a boat in the water.

Hergenreter said that crews from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources were also on the river further downstream covering the area from Dolliver Memorial State Park to the lower dam in Fort Dodge.

The search area will be expanded Thursday to include a much larger area.

“We will expand it from Fort Dodge to Dolliver,” Hergenreter said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Fort Dodge firefighter Ashley Jochum along with another firefighter helps search the Des Moines River Wednesday for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare, who disappeared Monday afternoon following a kayak accident south of the Hydrolectric Dam in Fort Dodge.

Tuesday night’s rainfall has not been helpful to the search effort. The river rose about 18 inches overnight and the current is strong and fast.

“The river is very high,” he said. “It’s running at three times its normal speed. It’s usually about four miles per hour; yesterday it was 12 miles per hour.”

Those water conditions are among the reasons Hergenreter is asking the public to leave the search to his and other trained teams.

“Stay off the river,” he said.

What the public can do to help, though, is what they’ve already been doing. Hergenreter said that a variety of things ranging from Subway platters to bug repellent have been dropped off for the firefighters and other agencies crews that are participating in the search.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
A member of the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue team holds onto the underwater sonar probe as they search an area of the Des Moines River just below the Hawkeye Avenue Bridge Wednesday afternoon. Another member of the team monitors the image on a computer screen at right.

“We can’t thank them enough,” he said. “We appreciate all that support.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Members of the Christian Air Ministry Search and Rescue Team use their sonar equiped boat just below the Hawkeye Avenue Bridge Wednesday during the search for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
A group of Fort Dodge firefighters plan the next phase of the search with members of the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Team Wednesday before they set out to continue searching for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
A member of the Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue team, uses a pair of virtual reality goggles to view their sonar as they search for Alex Dencklau, 26, of Clare, on the Des Moines River just north of Duck Island Wednesday. Dencklau went missing Monday in a Kayak accident just south of the Hydrolectric Dam in Fort Dodge.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today