A 23-year-old hunter fell into an icy Illinois pond while trying to save his dog on Jan. 26
NEED TO KNOW
Following an extensive search operation, his body was found the next day
The dog was safely pulled from the water and into a canoe
A 23-year-old hunter died while trying to save his dog from an icy pond in southern Illinois, authorities said.
On Monday, Jan. 26, the man fell through the ice at a pond in Clinton County, but his body wasn't located until the next day, following an extensive search operation, NBC affiliateKSDK, theBelleville-News Democratand Fox affiliateKTVIreported. The victim has since been identified as 23-year-old Luke Kitterman, St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye confirms to PEOPLE.
That Monday afternoon, Kitterman was goose hunting in the area with five friends, KSDK reported. After a successful shot, tragedy struck.
"The dog that retrieves the geese had gone out onto the ice and had fallen through," Peyton Matthews, who works with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police, told the outlet.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Kitterman, the owner of the dog, immediately went to help save his beloved pet.
The young man belly-crawled on the ice to reach the panicked dog and pulled the animal out of the water, according to the outlet. Unfortunately, the dog went in again.
"He was able to pull the dog back onto the ice, but the dog went in again after his owner," Matthews told KSDK. "And then after that, that is when the owner of the dog went underwater."
At that point, Kitterman's friends tried to retrieve them both.
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"His friends did try to get out there to help him out," the official told the outlet. "They were able to pull the dog out of the water and into a canoe, just unfortunately lost sight of their friend."
On Monday, around 3:15 p.m. local time, first responders rushed to the area near Clinton County Line Road and Renth Road in New Baden following a report of a man who fell through ice on a pond and didn't resurface, the New Baden Fire Department said in astatement.
KSDK News/YouTube
"After several hours of search operations, due to extreme cold temperatures, the incident was transitioned from a rescue to a recovery," officials said.
On the first day of the search, 75 first responders were at the pond to help search for the 23-year-old man, but the situation became treacherous because of the cold temperatures, KSDK reported. There was a danger that the hole the divers went through would start to freeze over.
By around 8:40 p.m., the search was suspended and began again on Tuesday, Jan. 27, officials said. That day, 30 search and rescue crew members searched for Kitterman with the help of sonar equipment, while his friends remained at the scene, according to KSDK.
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First responders and loved ones were determined to find Kitterman — and were eventually successful after hours of search efforts.
"We're all out here to make sure that he is returned home," Matthews told the outlet.
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