Bodies of 2 children found near location of capsized sailboat in bay of Green Bay

The bodies of two children were recovered from the bay of Green Bay on Monday morning, according to the Oconto County Sheriff's Office.

A 32-year-old Little Suamico man and his two children were reported missing after they went sailing Saturday afternoon on the bay of Green Bay.

The bodies of two children were found at 11:21 a.m. Monday, one mile south of where the boat was recovered, south of Chambers Island, according to the Oconto County Sheriff's Office.

Land, water and air searches will continue into Monday night for the missing man, with additional searches resuming in the morning as necessary, according to the Door County Sheriff's Office.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard and Oconto Sheriff's Office:

• The father and two children left Green Island in the bay at about 4 p.m. Saturday on an 18-foot sailboat.
• The three were reported missing at 12:42 p.m. Sunday after they did not arrive at their planned destination in Oconto. The Coast Guard was notified at 4:27 p.m. Sunday.
• Sunday afternoon, the father's truck and trailer were still at the boat ramp, and calls to his phone went straight to voicemail.
• A capsized "sailing vessel" was located at 6:22 a.m. Monday south of Chambers Island and was towed to Fish Creek.
• Neither the father nor the two children were found on or underneath the vessel.

Neither the Coast Guard nor the Oconto County Sheriff's Office has identified the victims.

Brown County Emergency Management identified the missing man as Bill Salnik and his two children, 3 and 5 years old.

**UPDATE**Due to information collected during the search overnight, there was an indication that they may be on land...

Posted by Brown County Emergency Management on Sunday, July 14, 2024

Rashad Alexander can be contacted at ralexander@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bodies of 2 children found near location of capsized sailboat in bay of Green Bay