WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (WFRV) – The search for a 20-year-old from Chicago who went missing after a boat capsized in the Wisconsin River on April 3 is still ongoing.
The Wisconsin Dells Police Department reported on Friday that Francesco L. Di Filippo has not yet been found, eight days after the incident occurred.
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Last Friday, officials found and recovered the body of his grandfather, 75-year-old Luis F. Di Filippo of Chicago; however, Francesco has still not been found.
Water conditions have started to improve, but are still high as the Kilbourn Dam was discharging around 12,800 cubic feet per second (CFS) as of 4 p.m. on Friday; the recommended rate for a safe search is about 9,000-10,000.
Around 8:30 a.m., Wisconsin Dells Police and other agencies launched boats to check specific areas of interest that had been previously identified. The spots were checked with sonar and drones, but none yielded Francesco.
Officials reportedly deployed sonar from about 1.5 miles south of the Rivers Edge launch up to where the initial incident happened, where debris collected after some of the water receded.
Francesco L. Di Filippo
The release said that the water still needs to drop significantly to perform more shoreline searches, along with a temperature increase, which would greatly increase in a successful search.
In addition, the search’s focus will shift further south along the river, as despite high levels, some places south are shallow, which can be challenging by boat.
“As the water recedes and more shoreline and islands are exposed, we will have to employ aerial searches to check areas that are otherwise inaccessible,” Police Chief Nicholas Brinker said in the release. “This will have to be accomplished through aircraft and drones. We will be arranging those searches in the coming days.”
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Anybody with information or potential sightings is urged to contact the Wisconsin Dells Police Department immediately.
Local 5 will continue to provide updates as more come in.
