Body recovered from Upper Iowa River is that of a Rochester, MN man

In the very early morning hours of Sunday, April 19, at approximately 12:36 a.m., an Allamakee County Sheriff’s Deputy located a vehicle parked at Wild Landing near the intersection of Iowa River Drive and Lycurgus Road along the Upper Iowa River in Allamakee County. A check of the vehicle indicated that it was registered to a male from Rochester, MN who had been reported missing since Thursday, April 16.

A search of the surrounding area and the Upper Iowa River was conducted and was unsuccessful. Monday, April 20, law enforcement returned to the area and began searching by boat. At approximately 11:54 a.m. the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an individual reporting a body in the Upper Iowa River. Officers with the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responded to the location and confirmed a male individual was located in the water approximately three miles down river from Wild Landing.

The body of Don Allen Watson, age 34, of Rochester, MN was recovered from the Upper Iowa River. The Allamakee County Medical Examiners Office pronounced Watson deceased. The incident remains under investigation by the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office.

No foul play is suspected. Although complete autopsy results have not been released as of press time, Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick shared that all indications of the further investigation point to Watson taking his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Assisting at the scene of the incident were the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, New Albin Fire Department, Waterville Fire Department, New Albin-Lansing Police Department, Allamakee County Emergency Management, and the Allamakee County Medical Examiners Office.