Search for missing fisherman in Fox River suspended until Thursday morning

Search for missing fisherman resumes on Fox River

Emergency crews resumed their search Wednesday morning for a missing fisherman who fell into the Fox River after a kayak capsized overnight, according to local officials.

ST. CHARLES, Ill. - Emergency crews concluded their search late Wednesday afternoon for a missing fisherman who fell into the Fox River after a kayak capsized overnight, according to local officials.

The missing fisherman has not yet been located. 

Crews search Fox River

The backstory:

The St. Charles Fire Department responded to the river at 9:36 p.m. Tuesday after a report that one person was in the water.

"There were two kayakers who were in the water that were apparently fishing and there was also a boat that was involved. From the preliminary interviews that we did, it sounds like one of the kayakers tipped and fell out of his boat and at that point, he wasn't seen again," St. Charles Fire Chief Jeremy Mauthe said.

Nearly 30 suburban fire departments joined the search effort, deploying six different boats, divers, rafts, sonar equipment and drones to scan the area south of the riverbend near Ferson Creek Park. Crews continued searching through the night, using high-powered lights until about 5 a.m., though darkness made conditions difficult.

St. Charles fire chief provides update on search for missing fisherman in Fox River

St. Charles Fire Chief Jeremy Mauthe provided an update after their hours-long overnight search for a fisherman who fell out of his kayak into the Fox River on Tuesday night.

Search operations resumed around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning with fire officials saying the efforts have now transitioned from a rescue to a recovery.

Officials said the kayak that tipped over has been recovered and that they have made contact with the operator of the boat.

Mauthe said the boat's role in the kayak tipping over is under investigation.

"The Fox River is a very dark and murky river," Mauthe said. "It's got a lot of different objects in there, a few of the things that we had found last night that we thought were potentially a person, tires and things of that sort. It's not a clean, easy river to search."

What's next:

Search operations will resume at 8 a.m. Thursday and a specialized underwater rover will aid in the efforts.