To the editor:

This letter is addressed to Mr. (Jeff) Hohensee who’s now bringing the loss of our loved one into his political circus via his paid for radio advertisement which aired on KNUJ. We, the family of Vince Mathiowetz, respectfully ask that you refrain from using our family’s loss for your political gain. Our family has been through enough hardship with the loss of our loved one and to have you not only disrespect his family but also disrespect other professionals who helped search for him during the time he went missing is very unprofessional. For a person running for a position to help serve the community, you are actually doing the opposite. You are doing a disservice. Using this as a platform to advance your political agenda is repulsive.

From the very start of when our loved one went missing, we had the most professional experience from the Sleepy Eye Police Department including Chief Matt Andres, the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, including Chief Deputy Jason Seidl and Deputy Eric Schwarzrock, and other agencies who aided in the search. Some of the other agencies included the New Ulm Police Department K-9 unit, Sleepy Eye Fire Department, New Ulm Fire Department, Minnesota DNR, Renville County Sheriff’s Office drone, a drone provided by Bolton & Menk, other K-9 search and recovery units and volunteers. We were always kept well informed of the situation with regular updates and briefings along the way. Everyone who helped in this grueling search gave up a lot of their time to help our family in need. Everyone had one goal in common and that was to find our loved one. This truly was an example of how several local agencies worked together as a team. Mr. Hohensee does not have all the information when he made his insensitive comments. Where the search was conducted was based on comments made by the missing person. Due to uncontrollable weather conditions and overwhelming rainfall in the area, the search was deemed too dangerous to continue and was called off until conditions became more favorable. Our family was very understanding of this as we did not want to jeopardize anyone else’s safety. Of course the outcome is not what our family prayed for but now we have closure. During this entire experience we gained a whole new outlook on how well all of these different agencies, including the Brown County Sheriff’s Office can collaborate together for the good of others.

Pat Mathiowetz

Sleepy Eye

Lucy Moldaschel

Sleepy Eye

Marge Seidl

Sleepy Eye