Aaron Duenke has been missing since the afternoon of December 27. Photos: Aaron Duenke Search Efforts//Facebook
On December 27, a 34-year-old man vanished while riding a floating chunk of ice down the Missouri River. He called the pursuit “iceberg surfing.” Now, a massive search for any sign of him is underway.
According to Paddle Stop New Haven, a Missouri River adventure guide outfit, Duenke is an experienced river paddle boarder who had paddled thousands of miles. “Aaron fell in love with big river paddle boarding and the culture behind big river recreation,” they wrote. “He has experienced the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in multiple states including two MR340 events.” He is also a talented carpenter who makes handcrafted paddleboards for Timber Longboard Co.
The last time anyone heard from Duenke was at about 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The Washington, Missouri Police Department did receive a call that Duenke was paddling down the river on a chunk of ice earlier, but when police called him at about 1:00 p.m., he told them that he was experienced and had done it many times in the past. Since his actions, while dangerous, aren’t technically illegal, he wasn’t stopped.
“I have been here 30 years and have not seen this activity,” Washington police Lt. Steve Sitzes told reporters. “I did some Googling and I did find some groups out there that do this type of thing, but it’s not well known and it’s extremely dangerous — those icebergs can break apart when they hit one another or a wing dam.”
Although the search is now entering its second day, his friends and family haven’t given up hope. Duenke had a cell phone with him, and they suspect that he may have fallen into the river, dropped it, and he could be on the river bank somewhere.
It’s believed that Duenke began his journey in Dundee, Missouri, just a few miles up-river from the town of Washington. He reportedly stopped there and bought a corncob pipe, then continued floating the river. The plan was for him to meet family members at Hinckley Bend, just east of Washington, around 3:30 p.m. At around 3:45 p.m., he spoke with his mother. An hour later, Shane Camden of Paddle Stop New Haven tried to call him, but there was no answer. That’s when officials were called to find him.
“When he did not show up at that point, the family became concerned and reported him as missing,” said Jim Casey, Chief of the Boles Fire Protection District.
That kicked off a search party that lasted until well past dark. Crews from Monarch Fire Protection District, Wright City Fire Department, and the Washington Fire Department used drones and a helicopter with heat detectors to look for any sign of him, but called the search off at midnight. The next day, the search was turned over to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Marine Division.
“Because of the ice in the Missouri River, it is not safe for boats to be out on the river. So we have Marine Division members searching the woods along the river for any sign of him,” said Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson Cpl. Logan Bolton on Wednesday. “Nothing has been located so far.”
As of this writing, the Missouri State Highway Patrol is treating Aaron’s disappearance as an Active Missing Person case and their search is continuing by boat. Friends and family are scouring the shoreline of the Missouri River. Anyone with information or wanting to help out can check in with the Facebook page created to organize the search and give updates.
