WASCOTT, Wis. — Two people who went missing in Wisconsin’s Minong Flowage Lake early Sunday morning, Oct. 29 have been identified as being from New Ulm.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office identified 26-year-old Ryan J. Busch and 27-year-old Andrew T. DeRock as the missing men in a press release issued Nov. 3. Busch and DeRock went out canoeing on the Minong Flowage Lake sometime Saturday. Family members of the pair located their capsized canoe at 12:46 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, and reported them missing to the Sheriff’s Office.

For the past week, the pair have been searched for using drones and personnel in boats and on land. Search teams have included Wisconsin DNR, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Minong Fire Department, Wascott Fire Department, Gordon Fire Department, Sawyer County Search and Rescue, St. Louis County Search, and the Superior Dive Team. The families also contacted the private search organization Bruce’s Legacy, who lent their services in the efforts as well.

Several complications identified by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office have hindered the search. These include weather conditions, bitterly cold water temperatures, and natural foliage within the search area.

As of Monday afternoon, the pair have not been found. The search is now being considered a recovery mission according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. They said search efforts will continue daily to find the pair. Alcohol is not currently believed to have been a factor. The weather was also not a factor, as conditions at the time consisted of clear, calm skies and waters with a full moon.

“The parents of Ryan and Andrew would like to take the opportunity to thank the Wascott community and their family and friends for the overwhelming support they have received during this time.” The families stated in the press release. No further comments have been made by the family or the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Several community efforts have been organized for the Busch and DeRock families.

Two GoFundMe’s have been started to help the families during their search. The first is for search and recovery expenses. The other is for current living expenses, as they have been in Wisconsin searching since Oct. 29. Across both, $27,520 has been raised by 368 donors. A photo book has also been started by the Busch and DeRock families. They encourage anyone with photos of Ryan or Andrew to add them to the collection. Around 550 photos and videos have been added by over 400 people.

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/search-recovery-expenses and/or https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-the-bushards-at-this-time-of-crisis.

To visit or add to the photobook, visit https://join.photocircleapp.com/A8TR5BSN74.