By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-07 13:15:00 | Updated at 2026-08-09 05:20:15
1 day ago
A young couple was found dead two days after venturing out for a kayak trip in Wisconsin.
David Thalman, 20, and his girlfriend Francesca Warick, 20, were declared missing on August 1 when they failed to return after going out on the water without life jackets, police said.
Authorities launched a search and drone operation alongside the US Coast Guard until Sunday morning.
Washington Island Police and the sheriff's office continued combing the waters and began a recovery effort.
The couple, both from Dundee, Illinois, a small town outside of Chicago, had been visiting the island, off the northeast tip of the Door Peninsula.
Thalman's body was found just before 11am on Monday, with Warick's remains recovered shortly after, according to the Door County Sheriff's Office.
The passageway between the island and Wisconsin is known for challenging conditions, including strong currents, unpredictable winds, sandbars, and rocky shores.
The waters off the coast have also been dubbed 'Death's Door' by locals due to the more than 275 shipwrecks in the area.
Francesca Warick, 20, and her boyfriend, David Thalman, 20, were found dead in Wisconsin on Monday morning, days after they left for a kayak trip
Authorities believe the young Illinois couple drowned after venturing out on the rough waters without life jackets
Thalman's boss told local news that the couple were vacationing at his family's cabin. She began to worry when several calls went unanswered on Saturday
The sheriff's department attributed the young couple's deaths to drowning, but the incident remains under investigation, and the official cause or manner of death has not been released.
The couple was described by family members and colleagues as positive people whose lives were cut too short.
Warick was a competitive cheerleader and loved to travel. She was attending cosmetology school and hoped to become a mother, according to her obituary.
'Above all else, Francesca loved her parents, Anthony and Angela, with all her heart,' her obituary read.
'She always tried to make others laugh, lifted the spirits of those around her, and chose to see the best in people. Her loving heart, joyful spirit, and genuine kindness will forever be remembered.'
Thalman was described in his obituary as someone who possessed 'warmth and gentle strength.'
He worked as a real estate agent and decided to enter the workforce after high school instead of going to college to get a jump-start on his career, according to his boss, Jane Lee.
Lee told Fox 32 Chicago that Thalman quickly proved himself in the industry and was promoted within a year, praising him for his 'hustle' mindset from his time as a high school football player.
'He said, "Jane, anything you can offer me, I want to learn real estate. I want to make it really big in the real estate business,"' his boss said.
Washington Island is located in Wisconsin off the northeast tip of the Door Peninsula. The waters off the coast have been dubbed 'Death's Door' by locals due to the more than 275 shipwrecks in the area
The couple have been remembered as positive individuals whose lives were cut too short
Thalman's last post in December was a series of photos of him and Warick together
'I said, "Do you want to go to college?" He said, "No. My friends go to college. They're not doing well. They're partying all the time. I want to build a career,"' she added.
Lee said that the couple was vacationing at Thalman's family cabin when the tragedy occurred.
She recalled that the two had spoken right before he left, and she began to worry the day before he was reported missing, when several calls went unanswered.
Thalman's last two posts on Facebook were photos of him with Warick. He posted several photos of the two together last December, with the caption: 'My beautiful woman and I.'
