The recovery followed an extensive search involving police, firefighters, the Coast Guard, state officials and local volunteers.
WASHINGTON ISLAND, Wis. — Authorities are investigating the deaths of two 20-year-old Illinois residents whose bodies were recovered from Lake Michigan after they failed to return from a kayaking trip near Washington Island.
David Thalman of Dundee and Francesca Warick of South Elgin were found Monday morning in waters near the island, according to the Door County Sheriff’s Office and Washington Island Police Department. Thalman’s body was recovered at about 10:55 a.m., and crews found Warick a short time later. Officials have not released a final account of what happened on the water.
Washington Island police were sent to the Wickman Drive area at about 6:48 p.m. Saturday after receiving a report that two people had gone kayaking and had not returned. Authorities said the pair did not have life jackets. Police, firefighters and other responders began searching the water and nearby land with help from drones.
The initial water search continued into Saturday night but was limited by darkness. Ground crews and drone operators kept searching into early Sunday before operations resumed after daybreak. The U.S. Coast Guard also took part in the search, using personnel and resources on the water and along the shoreline.
The Coast Guard ended its portion of the active search late Sunday morning. The Door County Sheriff’s Office then assumed command as local authorities shifted the operation from an effort to find the pair alive to a recovery mission. Officials focused on the area where Thalman and Warick were last known to have been kayaking.
Personnel from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Gibraltar Police Department joined the sheriff’s office and Washington Island police during the recovery effort. Fire departments from Washington Island, Egg Harbor, Ephraim, Sister Bay-Liberty Grove and Jacksonport also assisted, along with Door County Emergency Management, a police K-9 team and community volunteers.
Washington Island lies off the northern end of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula, between Green Bay and the main body of Lake Michigan. Reaching and searching the waters around the island required coordination among agencies with boats, aircraft, drones, ground teams and emergency personnel.
Officials announced Monday that both bodies had been recovered and offered condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones. Authorities also thanked the agencies and volunteers who contributed personnel, equipment and time during the search and recovery operation.
The sheriff’s office has not said whether weather, water conditions, equipment failure or another factor contributed to the deaths. Officials also have not announced autopsy findings or a formal determination of the cause and manner of death. The investigation remained open as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 6, 2026.