(Wahpeton)– An Idaho-based consulting firm arrived Saturday afternoon in the Iowa Great Lakes to assist in the ongoing search for 12-year-old Colin Helmers, who was onboard a dock barge that sank a week ago Saturday off of Gull Point on West Lake Okoboji.
Gene Ralston of Ralston and Associates arrived about mid-afternoon Saturday with what’s described as the most sophisticated equipment available in side scan sonar technology. Crews worked to retrofit a DNR boat to carry the special equipment and Ralsto took to the waters of West Lake Okoboji late this (Sun.) morning.
Ralston told KUOO news his operation will begin in the area of where the barge went down and fan out from there.
Ralston added he’ll be working off of data previously compiled by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Dive Team that conducted operations earlier in the week.
Ralston said he hasn’t seen anything on the bottom that should hide the victim, unless he’s in a location with a lot of debris. Even then, Ralston said he “should show up quite well”.
Ralston says he and his wife are prepared to be here a week to 10 days. He says he has another search in Kentucky, but that has been put on hold. Ralston doubts it will take longer than four or five days to conduct his operations here.
