Spencer, Iowa — Spencer emergency crews have been busy over the last few days with unprecedented flooding in that community. One of the emergencies they responded to was a vehicle in flood waters of the Little Sioux River.
The Clay County Communication Center reported that on Saturday, they received a call of a red Ford F-150 pickup attempting to cross rapid flood waters in the 3400 mile of 240th Avenue, east of Spencer.
It was reported that the vehicle was occupied by a single male occupant, William Schulze, from Elburn, Illinois. They say the pickup was swept away and floating in flood waters in the Little Sioux River. When emergency personnel arrived on the scene, a witness stated the vehicle floated out of sight and disappeared to the east. Deputies, Spencer Police, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, other emergency personnel, and volunteers with boats searched the area.
The pickup was located in the tree line, and it was determined the driver was deceased. Recovery efforts were not attempted, due to the very dangerous circumstances. Over the next couple of days, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa DNR monitored the flood situation and made several attempts to recover the victim but were not successful.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa DNR, Iowa State Patrol, and the Spencer Ambulance were able to extricate and recover Schulze on Monday, June 24, 2024.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office later learned that the victim had been reported missing in Illinois two days before.
