The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
A swimming accident Saturday night has apparently claimed the life of a Burlington man. The Henderson County Coroner Kris Beals identified Brian Wayne Haas, 37, of Burlington, Iowa, who was pulled from the Mississippi River Monday at about 3:00 p.m.
The Illinois Division of Criminal Investigation, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Henderson County Coroner Kris Beals are investigating the incident.
Iowa authorities assisted in recovering the man's body using the county's rescue boat. Sheriff Mike Johnstone reported in the Burlington Hawk-Eye that alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the man's death.
The body was recovered about three miles south of Burlington on the Illinois side of the channel near Burlington Island in an area known as the ISU Beach, across from the Iowa Southern Utilities facility in Iowa.
Reports from swimming companions at the scene stated that Hass went into the water sometime after 2:00 p.m. Saturday.
He was not reported missing until 5:00 a.m. Monday because his companions said they believed he had gotten a ride home with someone else.
Henderson County Sheriff Mark Lumbeck referred rescue efforts to the Resident Conservation Officer Pat Reid of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Lumbeck's department is operating short-handed due to several recent staff transfers.
Henderson County Coroner Kris Beals stated that an inquest will be scheduled later, pending the final autopsy and toxicology reports.