Red Arrow Park in Marinette where a volunteer search for Bill Salnik will launch of Sunday, July 21, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Special water trained K-9’s were on the Bay of Green Bay today as the search for missing sailor Bill Salnik continues.
The 32-year old, along with his two children, went missing over the weekend after leaving Green Island near Marinette, Saturday afternoon. They were heading to Oconto.
Their capsized sailboat was found south of Chambers Island Monday morning. And just before noon, that day, the bodies of his kids, 5-year-old Charlotte Salnik and 3-year-old Joshua Salnik were recovered from the bay too. Both kids were wearing lifejackets.
It’s been three days since searchers found Bill Salnik’s capsized sailboat, “My Lady Blue” along with the bodies of his two kids in the Bay of Green Bay.
“The whole situation is heartbreaking and really hard to get through,” said Mike Balzola, a friend of Salnik’s.
Since Sunday, the Door County Sheriff’s Office has been coordinating a search for the missing boater, saying they plan to continue to search throughout the weekend.
Bill Salnik’s friends plan to search too. In fact, they’re organizing a volunteer effort for Sunday.
“We need to find Billy. Whether it be circumstances we don’t want to think about or finding him on land, still with us, we need to bring him home,” said Balzola.
The Sunday morning search will launch from Red Arrow Park in Marinette. From the park you can see Green Island, the last place Selnik and his kids were seen before the sail boating tragedy.
According to Balzola, “I would really like to get people to search Marinette to Peshtigo Harbor area because that was the direction he was heading and he did get probably some amount of time sailing south before the storm came.”
Volunteers don’t have to have a boat to participate. Organizers plan to send searchers out on both water and on land in an effort to bring their friend Billy home. Balzola said, “At this point, with the time frame, we have a lot more area that we need to cover, so the more eyes that we can have out the better.”
Balzola said, since announcing the volunteer search, the response has been positive. He added, “We have thermal drones coming to look, lots of guys that want to fly drones out there for us. We have a diver, couple of divers that want to be brought out to points of interest, so really just show up if you can.”
And organizers will find a place for you to search so they can bring Bill Salnik home.
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