4 October 2023
The Hudson, Wis., men whose bodies were recovered from the St. Croix River on Tuesday have been identified.
Neither Demetrius A. Kekedakis, 51, nor Perry D. Montpetit, 65, were wearing life jackets at the time of the drowning, according to the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescue crews pulled the men from the St. Croix River, just south of the Interstate 94 bridge, on Tuesday a few hours after Kekedakis’ fishing boat was seen unoccupied and spinning in circles near Town of Troy, Wis., Beach., said St. Croix County, Wis., Sheriff Scott Knudson.
A boater called 911 at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday to report seeing the boat and possibly a body next to the boat, Knudson said.
When deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrived by boat, however, they could not locate anyone in the water, Knudson said.
Members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team found the body of the first man at 12:20 p.m.; the second man’s body was located shortly before 6 p.m.
The men’s bodies were found about 650 yards from the Wisconsin shore; the St. Croix River is 30 to 40 feet deep at that point in the river, according to Knudson.
Crews were able to collect the boat after it ran out of gas, Knudson said.
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