This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Boulden Classification: Death Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/BhB.2ACI/203.2 Message Board Post: Yankton Press & Dakotan Thursday, June 9, 2005 Body Of Missing Viborg Man Found By: RANDY DOCKENDORF randy.dockendorf@yankton.net VERMILLION -- The body of a Viborg man was recovered Wednesday from the Missouri River near Vermillion, ending an intensive four-day search. The body of Charles Edward Boulden, 76, was recovered Wednesday afternoon about three-quarters of a mile east of where the Vermillion River enters the Missouri River, said Sgt. Jerami West of the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Authorities estimate Boulden was found 15 to 17 miles from where his car entered the water, West said. Crews began searching Sunday for Boulden after his vehicle washed off University Road north of Vermillion. He was the lone occupant in the car. "This is being ruled a fatality accident," West said. "The South Dakota Highway Patrol is taking over and will work on the accident report investigation." The Clay County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, reporting a body in the Vermillion River just north of the Missouri River, West said. "There was a resident -- a person who lives on one of the landings out there -- who was out in his boat and went by a large snag and observed a human body," West said. "We responded to the 911 call and went out with the Vermillion Fire and Rescue and the Vermillion Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla." The rescuers checked the area where the body was sighted but initially didn't find any sign of Boulden, West said. The search moved downstream, where the body was located in the Missouri River shortly after 2 p.m. "We were lucky one of the boats went down the river, because he had entered the Missouri River," West said. The recent heavy rains created both a large influx of water and a swift current for the Vermillion River, which is likely why the body moved so quickly in the few minutes after the 911 call, West said. "The Vermillion River was moving incredibly fast," the deputy said. Wednesday's recovery ended a non-stop search involving dozens of people, West said. "Other than stopping for weather, it would be safe to say we have been working 13-hour days," he said. "People have been out there since Sunday. We have had tons of help." The Vermillion Fire and Rescue unit and the Vermillion Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla worked at the scene every day, West said. The effort also received assistance from the Yankton County, Beresford, Elk Point and Wakonda search and rescue units and the Codington County Search and Rescue Canine Unit, he said. The search covered air, land and water, West said. The recovery effort used airboats, canoes, two different pilots flying over the site and an amphibious all-terrain vehicle. West credited the non-stop effort and coordination of the various rescue units. "These guys are unbelievable in what they do. It's just phenomenal," he said. The public has played a valuable role, but authorities did not want members of the public to place themselves in dangerous situations, West said. "The public has been a huge help, but we have got to try to limit some involvement out here (at the search site)," he said. "We get calls from volunteers, but we also have to look out for their safety." Eyewitness accounts and conversations with family members have provided more details on Boulden's disappearance, he added. Boulden was traveling south on University Road, headed for Sioux City, Iowa, West said. Boulden frequently used the road when traveling to Vermillion, the deputy said. A nearby resident, using binoculars, spotted Boulden traveling down the road and driving around a "road closed" barricade, West said. The barricade had been erected because of the submerged road from recent heavy rains, he said. "The witness watched as the vehicle was swept into the west ditch," the deputy said, adding that area residents went to check on Boulden. Authorities found the driver's door ajar and the back window down, West said. While the car itself was found in the west ditch, officials remain unsure if Boulden himself was on the west or east side of the road, the deputy said. "(The victim) could have gone into two different channels," West said. "There is Baptist Creek on the east side of the road, and on the west side there is a drainage ditch. It's pure speculation on what side of the road he was able to get out, and if he got disoriented." Authorities reached the point Tuesday where they switched from a search-and-rescue effort to a search-and-recovery mode, West said. A number of factors were taken into account in making the decision, he said. "You look at everything, from the person's age and their medical history to the amount of water," he said. "You want to stay hopeful, but you also have to come to the realization that you don't want to get other people's hopes up. You have to be in a recovery situation." The recent warm weather had helped evaporate the heavy rains, but Tuesday night's precipitation -- including four inches upstream near Wakonda -- put rescuers "back to square one," West said. Wednesday's recovery came despite a new round of challenges for rescue crews, he said. Wednesday's rescue hopefully brought closure for Boulden's family, West said. "I can only assume this has to bring a sigh of relief for them," he said. While Boulden's body has been recovered, authorities continue their search for Ron Christensen, 57, of Vermillion, who was last seen in mid-April near the mouth of the Vermillion River. Christensen was last seen boating alone with two dogs. Authorities later located the capsized boat and found the dogs, one alive and one dead. "With the Christensen case, we have people follow it daily and tell us what they find. Local pilots are out flying the river," West said. "We hope we can get closure for that family, too." The Boulden recovery brings a reminder that people should not try to drive through or walk on submerged roads, West said. While University Road is not closed down, its junction with 309th Street -- a mile south of Boulden's submerged car -- has standing water which may not dry out for days, the deputy said. The danger of submerged roads shows the need to respect barricades, West said. "Those barriers are there for the public's safety," he said.