GUTTENBERG, IOWA – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a drowning that happened on March 21, around 1:30pm, near the spillway of Lock and Dam #10 on the Mississippi River.
Two men were fishing in a 14-foot flat boat in a restricted area near the low-head dam of Lock and Dam #10 when their boat was caught in a turbulent area and began taking on water.
Shaun Oppenheimer, 54, of Quasqueton, was a passenger in the boat and went overboard and drowned. His body was recovered and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Neither Oppenheimer nor the operator of the boat were wearing personal flotation devices, although the boat did have them on-board.
The Iowa DNR continues to investigate this drowning. Assisting in this incident were the Guttenberg Fire and Rescue, Guttenberg Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County, Wisconsin Fire and Rescue, Glen Haven, Wisconsin Fire and Rescue, and nearby fishermen providing quick access with their boats.
