Grant County man dies after drowning in Mississippi River

POTOSI, Wis. — One man died Sunday afternoon after drowning in the Mississippi River in Grant County.

According to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Mitchell Hochhausen, 63, of Potosi, and his wife were with two of their grandchildren swimming on a sand beach island about a mile north of Potosi Point around 3:30 p.m.

A news release said Hochhausen had swam into the river to retrieve an item that had floated away, but was not able to make it back to shallower waters when he was swimming back.

Officials said he went under the surface of the water before someone could get to him in a boat.

Authorities said rescuers searched using side-scan sonar and were able to find him about four hours later around 7:30 p.m.

He was pronounced dead at the boat landing by the Grant County Coroner.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by several local departments, including Potosi Fire and EMS, Cassville Fire, and the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office.

“In talking with the family of Mitchell Hochhausen, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office investigator was asked to pass along their sincere thanks for the efforts made by all of the emergency responders who assisted with this incident,” the release said.

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.