The Grant County Sheriff’s Office said Parker Kruse’s body was found Saturday afternoon, nearly one year after his disappearance. Kruse was a native of Arena and was a 2018 graduate of River Valley High School. Kruse was 22 and died in a boating accident on the Wisconsin River on July 3, 2021. Eyewitnesses and family said Parker and a friend were trying to save a man whose boat was spinning out of control on the Wisconsin River. After rescuing the boater, the out-of-control boat slammed into Parker’s, knocking him into the water. Sheriff Nate Dreckman said a group of vacationers was canoeing the Wisconsin River when they found human remains on Steamboat Island, a sandbar about 1/4 mile northeast of the Blue River Bridge. The group was familiar with Kruse’s disappearance on the river last July. They called the sheriff’s office just after 3:20pm Saturday afternoon. The Blue River Fire Department helped the sheriff’s office and the Grant County Coroner’s Office get to the island. Authorities transported the remains back to shore, where Kruse’s family members identified him. Most of his remains were found. The family of Parker Kruse says a search will continue for the rest of his remains.
