The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office has recovered the body of a Little Suamico boater who went missing in July after going sailing with his two children, a news release said.
Billy Salnik, 32, was identified after Marinette County dispatch received a call at 12:06 p.m. from a boater that they may have found a body near Green Island, according to Marinette County Sheriff Randy Miller.
The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office and the Marinette City Fire Department immediately arrived. Soon after their arrival, firefighters found and recovered the body, later identifying it as that of Salnik, who had been missing since July.
Salnik disappeared on July 13 after taking his two children, Joshua Salnik, 3, and Charlotte Salnik, 5, out to sea. The three never reached their destination in Oconto after setting off from Green Island in the bay. On July 15, the capsized vessel carrying the three, as well as the bodies of the two children, were recovered.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in the numerous search efforts for their tireless efforts,” the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office said in the press release announcing Salnik’s identity. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Billy’s family and friends during this time.”
Friends searched for Salnik in early August using boats, underwater cameras and along the shoreline in Menekaunee Harbor in Marinette.
Salnik’s mother, Tina, opened a GoFundMe account on July 15 to help with funeral expenses. As of 3:45 p.m. on August 24, $27,205 of the $30,000 goal had been raised.
The incident remains under investigation by the Marinette County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office. The City of Marinette Fire Department assisted the Sheriff’s Office, the release said.
Timeline of events
According to reports from the Door County and Oconto County Sheriff’s Departments and the U.S. Coast Guard, this is the timeline of events that led to the discovery of the children’s bodies.
- Salnik and his two children left Green Island in the bay around 4 p.m. on July 13 in an 18-foot sailboat.
- The three were reported missing at 12:42 p.m. on July 14 when they failed to reach their planned destination in Oconto. The Coast Guard was notified at 4:27 p.m. the same day.
- The father’s truck and trailer were found at the boat ramp on the afternoon of July 15. Calls to the Salniks’ phone went straight to voicemail.
- A capsized vessel was recovered south of Chambers Island at 6:22 a.m. on July 16 and towed to Fish Creek.
- On July 16 at 11:21 a.m., the bodies of two young children were found in the water about one mile south of where the boat was found.
- On August 24 at 12:06 p.m., a boater reported a body near Green Island, which was later identified as that of Salnik.
