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About 30 people from various organizations formed search teams and combed the shores of the Mississippi River and several islands along about two miles of the main channel south of the dam. They hoped some evidence of Xiong might have washed up during the summer, and that now that the waters have receded, something could be found on land.
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Ray Sylvester, left, Tim Hoffmann, middle, and Jeff Peterson search on Minnesota Island for the remains of Joshua Xiong on Saturday. Xiong was 10 when his parents’ boat capsized in May 2007 near Lock and Dam No. 7. (Photo by Paul Solberg/Winona Daily News) |
The volunteer effort was organized by Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand, who hasn’t given up on finding Xiong. He compared Xiong’s case to the ongoing search for Jacob Wetterling, a boy who disappeared from his St. Joseph, Minn., neighborhood almost 20 years ago.
“This is very important,” Brand told the search parties. “We’d like to put a closure on this case.”
Temperatures bottomed out at just above freezing, and a dense fog hung over the river as the search teams loaded boats and headed for predetermined locations just after 8 a.m.
The volunteers from the county Dive Rescue Team, Search Operations Assistance Rescue Team, the Community Emergency Response Team, police reserves and a cadaver dog from Rochester, Minn., spent the day poking around beneath washouts and shuffling leaves away from holes on sandy beaches looking for “anything unusual.”
Despite their hopes, they ended the day empty handed.
Brand has promised to keep searching for Xiong. to offer his surviving family members a chance at closure.
Kevin Behr may be reached at (507) 453-3524 or at kbehr@winonadailynews.com.
SOAR1 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 1:04 PM:
The SOAR Team is currently low on members and we would encourage anyone interested in joining to stop by the Law Enforcement Center and request an application for membership. If you would like any further information, you may contact us via email at info_@_winsoar.org (remove the _ symbols). "