2022-05-08-2

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the man missing in a boat incident on the Des Moines River.

Several agencies and volunteers responded to the area last night and today to help search for the 3rd subject missing in a boat crash, identified as Dustin Lee Dittmer, age 34, of Colfax. Two others on the boat got to shore safely. The responding agencies include Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa DNR, Knoxville City Fire and Rescue, Marion County Emergency Management, Pleasantville Fire and Rescue, Runnells Fire and Rescue, Hartford Fire Department, Pleasant Hill Fire Department and Prairie City Ambulance and Fire. Various friends and family also aided in the search effort. The Knoxville Hy-Vee has provided food to those working.

As of 5:30pm Sunday, no additional information regarding the status of Dittmer has been released.

Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt says the incident occurred near Bennington Boat ramp, where multiple boats were on the water at 4 p.m. Saturday.

“There were a couple of gentlemen in a flat bottom boat that ended up running out of gas, and there were three subjects in an air boat that came down and saw the people out of gas and were going to try and assist them to get back to the boat ramp…the air boat flipped upside down, throwing the people into the water that were in the airboat — there were two males and a female, and one of the males and the female were able to make to shore, and the third person, we’re not sure of right now.”

The search continued Sunday, both on land and water, and will resume today.

“Today, we have a lot of search and rescue personnel, we have a lot of boats, and right now, we’re trying to get things organized on our aspect of it, even with law enforcement, fire, and rescue,” he says. “I know a lot of friends and family want to help and one of the biggest things right now, when there is such a large, open area, it’s not so much maybe the water aspect of help, but there’s certain areas obviously over around Swan where we’ve had some of the volunteers go to, but the biggest thing is to stay in groups. Obviously, we don’t want one or two people out there and then have them have issues, and then we have to go look for them. It’s kind of that balance of yeah, people want to help, but there has to be some organization along with that also.”

Sheriff Sandholdt asks the public to, “please keep the family in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time, especially his mother and step-mother today on Mother’s Day.”