Missing Hunter Recovery Effort | St. Louis News | CW11 St. Louis

Updated...

Missing Hunter Recovery Effort

Wednesday's search of the Missouri River for a missing hunter ended with no sign of the 27-year-old.

By Theresa Petry,

May 7, 2008, 5:49 PM CDT

Wildwood, MO — Wednesday's search of the Missouri River for a missing hunter ended with no sign of the 27-year-old.

WATCH

According to Missouri Water Patrol, the search will now be drastically scaled down to a couple officers a day searching the top of the water.

Keith Fietsam's boat capsized on the Missouri River Tuesday.

Students and faculty at Lutheran South High School are praying for his family and paying homage to the man they call coach.

Fietsam loved the game of baseball.

"He loved to play baseball so he really enjoyed the game and really enjoyed teaching us," said sophomore, Kyle Hoff.

Fietsam started teaching and coaching the JV baseball team at Lutheran South High School in February in that short time he became a mentor.

"Just go to him if you had a question about anything school, girls, anything, homework, problems. He'd give you a situation he had in high school and it seemed really logical," commented sophomore, John Auble.

Family and friends can't make sense of what happened here on the swollen Missouri River.

On a hunting trip to Howell Island with his friend their boat capsized in the swift current.

Missouri Water Patrol has spent the past two days combing the area and using sonar equipment to try and find the Belleville native and former baseball star at Lindenwood College.

"You kind of want to help whatever way you can but sometimes you can't," Hoff said.

Some of his players are struggling with the news.

"A lot of times its okay to cry we have to tell them its ok to show your emotions that way," explained athletic director, Mark Probst.

"We do want to remember him and our hearts go out to his friends and family," Auble said.

They'll miss seeing him on the field and roaming the halls. They say he was a perfect fit here.

"Then all of this happened yesterday so it's been real tough," said Probst.

The baseball team plans to honor him with a moment of prayer before Thursday nights game.

Previous Story: By Gabrielle Biondo

A local teacher and coach is presumed dead after his boat capsized this morning.

WATCH Gabrielle Biondo's Story

Crews searched the Missouri River all day Tuesday, but are now calling the effort a recovery mission.

Friends and family of Keith Fietsam, 27, said he was a teacher and JV Baseball Coach at Lutheran South High School. He is one of two men that were in a canoe that capsized on the Missouri River near the Daniel Boone Bridge around 4:45am Tues.

News of the recovery effort spread along the river Tuesday

"I feel for the family. Sorry for the family," said Jim Maue, a fisherman from O'Fallon.

"The river everywhere. You just got to be careful all the time," added Mike Pogany, a fisherman from St. Peters.

Missouri water patrol said Fietsam of Winfield and Leo Geringer, 48, of St. Peters set out for Howell Island when the accident happened. Its almost 5000 acres near the Daniel Boone Bridge are popular with turkey hunters, but now the water around it is high, swift and particularly dangerous.

"This water is incredibly dangerous right now. It's very powerful, there's a lot of debris, a lot of unknowns. It's not anything you need to be around at anytime," said Lou Amighetti with Missouri Water Patrol

The two men had been around it before and were familiar with the area.

"In the summertime you can walk across the caseway. It's very easy. Right now the water's going over it," explained Maue who is familiar with the area.

Water patrol thinks the two were trying to cross it in a canoe but got caught in the current washed into the low-head dam and capsized.

Geringer made it to land and called for help. Fietsam did not. "He was seen swimming, last seen a couple hundred yards away from the waterfall.. Or the lowhead dam," said Amighetti.

Authorities said Fietsam was not wearing a lifejacket, something other boaters said you simply can't risk.

"The best swimmers can fall out, bump their head and if you don't have a life jacket on you, you're gonna sink," said Pogany.

So while crews dragged the river Tues. evening, those on the river remained optimistic.

"For all we know right now, it's still early. The guy could be in the woods somewhere still looking to get his way home," said Maue.

Amighetti said Geringer was wearing a life jacket.

Tuesday night the Missouri River was below flood stage, but it's high and water patrol said your on it at your own risk.

The recovery effort continues around 9:00am Weds. Divers and sonar equipment are both being brought in.