Freezing man rescued from marsh after he calls his mom, Wisconsin officials say

A man’s desperate phone call to mom led to his rescue from a freezing, flooded marsh in Wisconsin, officials say.

The 32-year-old was visiting the Jackson Marsh Wildlife Area in southeastern Wisconsin when he became lost, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 3 news release, adding that he was “very wet” and “extremely cold.”

With little idea of where he might be in the 2,600-acre nature area, first responders were able to hone in on his location through a phone pin, the release said.

Deputies arrived in the area, used drones to scout ahead and spotted the man — but he wouldn’t be easy to get to.

“The area where the (man) was located was flooded, making access difficult,” the sheriff’s office said.

Area firefighters on the scene were able to make the crossing with an inflatable boat, and a crew wearing ice-rescue suits, according to the sheriff’s office.

The man was hypothermic, but rescuers loaded him onto the boat, taken from the wildlife area and transported to a hospital for treatment, the release said.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

The Jackson Marsh Wildlife Area is roughly 32 miles northwest of downtown Milwaukee.

This story was originally published March 5, 2023 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Freezing man rescued from marsh after he calls his mom, Wisconsin officials say."