On February 26, 2025, at approximately 1:56 P.M., the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Welton Fire Department and the DeWitt Fire Department responded to the 2300 Block of 180th Street, to a report of a man that had fallen through the ice of a rural farm pond, while ice fishing. Upon arrival, the first responders discovered an unresponsive male in the middle of the pond, that appeared to have fallen through the ice. The unresponsive adult male victim was located approximately 100 feet from the shore, in a small area of open water. The DeWitt Fire Department deployed an “ice rescue team”, outfitted with specialized ice rescue flotation suits and additional water/ice rescue equipment, and traversed the thin ice and water, until they were able to reach the victim. The victim was removed from the pond and pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the victim is currently being withheld, pending proper notification of family.
The initial report was called in by a witness who had driven by the pond earlier in the day and noticed the adult male out ice fishing. The witness drove by later in the day and noticed the man’s gear still on the ice; however, was not able to see the adult male. The witness, concerned about the ice fisherman’s whereabouts, called “911” to report the incident.
The case remains under investigation by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Clinton County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Welton Fire Department, DeWitt Fire Department, Mercy-One Genesis (DeWitt) Ambulance and the Clinton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
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Sheriff Bill Greenwalt
Clinton County Sheriff’s Office
