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Sheriff's office identifies 18-year-old who drowned in Wapsi River over the weekend

The Clinton County Sheriff's Office said it responded to a call for a missing person at the Ben Martinsen Wildlife Area just south of Folletts, Iowa.

CLINTON COUNTY, Iowa — One person is dead after drowning Saturday morning in the Wapsipinicon River in Clinton County, according to the Clinton County Sheriff's Office.

It happened at the Ben Martinsen Wildlife Area located near Highway 67, south of Folletts, Iowa. 

On Monday, the sheriff's office identified the person as Benjamin Williams of Donahue, Iowa. 

The sheriff's office said deputies responded to a missing person report around 9:45 a.m. That's when two teenage campers approached, telling deputies about their missing friend who wasn't at their campsite.

First responders from the sheriff's office, Low Moor Fire Department and an off-duty Camanche firefighter soon helped to comb the nearby wildlife area and the backwaters of the Wapsipinicon River. A K-9 unit from the Clinton Police Department and a drone were also called in to help.

According to the sheriff's office, at approximately 10:28 a.m., the off-duty Camanche firefighter found Williams' in the backwaters of the Wapsipinicon River, where they were pronounced dead.

Officers are referring to this death as a drowning, though it is unclear if an autopsy has been conducted yet. The case remains under investigation by the sheriff's office and the Clinton County Medical Examiner.

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