Snowmobile Tragedy

AZTALAN - Two Watertown area residents died Saturday night when the snowmobile they were riding went through the ice on the Rock River east of County Highway N just north of the intersection with Ziebell Road in the Town of Aztalan.

Divers recovered Wendy Heiman, 36, from the river Saturday night and were still searching as of this morning for the body of Gerard Debaets, 40.

A third individual, Brian Nimm, 39, who had been traveling with the pair and previously broken through the ice moments before the fatal incident, was treated and released at Watertown Hospital.

State Department of Natural Resources Conservation Warden David Walz said the initial incident involved Nimm breaking through the ice on a snowmobile approximately 300 yards upstream from the scene where Heiman and Debaets died.

The DNR warden said Nimm's snowmobile went into the river but he was able to get out.

"For some reason, the trio continued down the river from that point," Walz said, noting that Heiman and Debaets went tandem on one sled and Nimm rode the other.

He speculated that they may have been heading to get off the river around Capn's Corner or the Glacial Drumlin Trail.

However, shortly after proceeding from the scene of Nimm's incident in the water, the snowmobile carrying Heiman and Debaets went into the river.

Nimm was able to get to the nearest residence on Highway N and call for help.

"Eventually all three people went into the water," Walz said, referring to Nimm's initial breakthrough and the subsequent fatal incident involving Heiman and Debaets.