Multi-agency search for missing man now focusing on Mississippi waters
By Mike Bunge
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WINONA COUNTY, Minnesota (KIMT) — Investigators searching for a missing 60-year-old man in southeast Minnesota have learned new details about how his pontoon boat was found.
Brian Daley of Utica was reported missing to the Winona County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday at about 5:15 p.m. His pontoon boat was later found tied off along an island near Merrick State Park.
After the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office asked for help on social media, someone came forward with important information. That person told investigators they originally found the pontoon boat floating unattended in the main channel of the Mississippi River, secured it and tied it off along the shoreline near Merrick State Park, where searchers later found it.
Daley’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Extensive search efforts have been conducted across both land and water in the area between Bass Camp Resort and the location where the pontoon boat was recovered in Buffalo County. The operation is a large-scale, multi-agency effort involving the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Winona County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, multiple local fire departments, law enforcement agencies, emergency management personnel and search and rescue teams.
Earlier search efforts relied heavily on aerial resources, including fixed-wing aircraft and drone technology, watercraft and ground searches. With the new information, the operation has transitioned its focus to underwater search efforts using side-scan sonar systems and remotely operated vehicles.
The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office and Winona County Sheriff’s Office are not requesting volunteers or members of the public to participate in physical search operations. Anyone who observes anything unusual or who may have information related to Daley’s disappearance is encouraged to contact law enforcement immediately.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Brian Daley is asked to contact the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 608-685-4433, Option 2, or the Winona County Sheriff’s Office at 507-457-6368.
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