GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The body recovered from the East River in Green Bay on Thursday has been identified.
Officials say it is 25-year-old Ryan Riebe of Green Bay, who was reported missing on December 24.
Green Bay Police’s dive team found the body during a planned operation to look for any missing persons.
“We start at the point where the complainant makes the call. Then, we try to match it up with any evidence that we have on scene. Then, we just pick locations in the river.”
Captain Kevin Warych notes they look for locations where the conditions are safe for their dive team.
Warych explains what equipment the divers are given.
“They are in dry suits. They don’t feel the water, they just feel the temperature. They have facemasks that allow them to breathe and allow them to talk from underneath the water to people on the (surface). Air tanks, they have surface-supplied air.”
He notes being on the dive team requires a special set of skills.
“Dive in black water, maintain direction, know which way is up and which way is down, and be conscious of all of what’s on the bottom (of the body of water) which you can’t see.”
Warych notes the recovery efforts are necessary to provide closure for loved ones of the person whose body is found.
