On August 8, 2023, at approximately 9:04 am, the Clayton County Communications Center received a report from Towboat Diving Service, from Muscatine, Iowa, stating they have located a submerged vehicle at the base of the City of Marquette’s boat landing. According to the Towboat Diving Service’s sonar equipment, the submerged vehicle appeared to be on its top at depths of approximately 22 feet. Under the coordination and supervision of the Mar-Mac Police Department, Towboat Diving Service conducted two underwater dives to the vehicle. The first dive was on August 8th and the subsequent dive was on August 9th.
On August 8th, a diver entered the river at approximately 6:30 pm. During the initial dive, the diver was able to identify the vehicle as a red two-door Mitsubishi. The vehicle was positioned on its top with a large log resting over the vehicle. The diver obtained video footage of the submerged vehicle. The video footage was later reviewed by the police department and the Dubuque Police Department’s Dive Team.
On August 9th, a second dive on the vehicle occurred at approximately 5:30 pm. During the second dive, a thorough examination of the interior and exterior of the vehicle was conducted and video recorded. The vehicle was confirmed to be a Mitsubishi Eclipse GS and appeared to be unoccupied. Evidence from the vehicle was recovered to further identify the vehicle and its owner.
Additional coordination between entities is pending. The Mar-Mac Police Department was assisted by Towboat Diving Service, the Dubuque Police Department Dive Team, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation – DCI.
If anyone has any information pertaining to this red Mitsubishi Eclipse GS, contact Chief Robert Millin at (563) 873-2500, extension 2301, or email rmillin@marmacpolice.org.