On 8/22/2025 at approximately 12:21 AM, the Allamakee County Sheriffs Office Dispatch Center received a report of a person in the water at S&S Houseboat Rentals in Lansing, IA. 63-year-old, Robert Merlin Biertzer of Brownsville, WI had fallen into the Mississippi River while walking on the docks. Biertzer was located by friends near the area where he fell into the water. Shortly after first responders arrived on scene, Biertzer was pulled from the water where he was unresponsive. Biertzer was pronounced deceased at the scene.
No foul play is suspected. Agencies assisting at the scene were the Lansing Police Department, Allamakee County Sheriffs Office, Lansing Emergency Medical Services, and the Lansing Fire Department.