Search continues for Bill Salnik, who has been missing since July 13 after taking sailboat out onto Green Bay

STURGEON BAY - The search continues for a Little Suamico man after he went sailing with his two children on July 13 in the bay of Green Bay.

Bill Salnik, 32, is still being searched for, after the bodies of his two children, Joshua Salnik, 3, and Charlotte Salnik, 5, were found on July 15.

Pat McCarty, chief deputy of the Door County Sheriff's Office, told the Press-Gazette Wednesday morning that there were a number of searches for Salnik done this past weekend. He said there was volunteer searches done in Marinette County, as well as the Fish Creek area in Door County. Nothing has been found so far.

McCarty said the difficulty in a search like this is that there aren't landmarks in the water so it's hard to pinpoint a location.

"One of the difficulties is when you're dealing with jurisdictional boundaries on the water, there's no real landmark," McCarty said. "If we were able to pinpoint a location, then the dive team does become more feasible."

McCarty asks recreational boaters during this tourist season to be on the lookout if they witness any activity in the water.

What happened to Salnik and his children?

According to law enforcement reports:

• Salnik took his two children out on the bay on July 13 in an 18-foot sailboat.
• They left Green Island around 4 p.m. July 13.
• They were reported missing at 12:42 p.m. July 14 when they didn't arrive at their planned destination in Oconto. The Coast Guard was notified at 4:27 p.m. July 14.
• A capsized boat was found at 6:22 a.m. July 15 south of Chambers Island.
• The children's bodies were found at 11:21 a.m. July 15 south of Chambers Island in the town of Gibraltar.
• The siblings were found together and they were both wearing flotation devices.

GoFundMe update

Bill Salnik's mother, Tina, started a GoFundMe account on July 15 to help with funeral expenses. As of 11 a.m. July 24, $26,530 has been raised.

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

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Search continues for Bill Salnik, who has been missing since July 13 after taking sailboat out onto Green Bay