A vigil is held in Marinette for 13-year-old Jakob Bowerman, who recently drowned, Aug. 27, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Dozens of community members gathered at the Marinette pier Wednesday night to show their support for a local family, finding light in the darkness during a candlelight vigil.
Thirteen-year-old Jakob Bowerman died Saturday, three days after his body was pulled from the mouth of the Menominee River.
Police have referred charges against a 16-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man in connection with Bowerman’s death. His family alleges they pushed Bowerman, who was autistic, into the water and didn’t do anything to help him as he struggled.
“I remember when we were in second grade, he used to come over all the time and he would sit at my table, and we would play games all the time. We’d always plan for a sleepover, but we never ever got that sleepover,” said Aya Vanstippen, a friend of Bowerman’s.
During Wednesday’s vigil, some attendees spoke, some read poems and some prayed, while others joined in song.
“The outpouring from our community, I mean, I had no doubt. I’ve lived in this community for a long time and I had no doubt that they would come together because this is a horrific event and I believe in my community,” said Melissa Barber, a friend of Bowerman’s mother and the organizer of the vigil.
“It’s very nice of the community that everybody came down here and just gathered as a community over what just happened,” said Branden Just, a friend of Bowerman’s. “It definitely warms my heart to see a lot of people here participating in this event.”
Bullying is believed to have been involved in last week’s deadly incident. Many of those in attendance wore red or brought signs on red paper to signify anti-bullying awareness.
“I saw how bad my son and his friends were hurting, and I thought, what a better time than after middle school orientation to come down here and just share memories about Jakob — to help them heal and to look at each other and remember we’re friends. Don’t bully each other, we all have feelings,” Barber said.
This tragedy has not only taken a toll on Bowerman’s family, but the entire community.
“Jakob, as a person, he was funny. I loved being around him. He was never sad. I had never seen him sad before. I had known him for a really long time. He was a really, really good friend to me, and I really wanted to spend more time with him,” Vanstippen said. “The teachers would even say we were like two peas in a pod, and it’s really hard to see randomly one day that he was gone. He was perfect. A perfect person.”
Bowerman’s visitation and funeral are scheduled for Tuesday.
At this time, official charges have not yet been filed in connection with Bowerman’s death.
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