Evan Frank

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A body found Oct. 26, 2017 in Okauchee Lake has been identified.

According to a news release Oct. 10 from town of Oconomowoc Police Chief James Wallis, the person was identified as Okauchee resident Thomas Engel, who at age 31 had been reported missing during a boating incident on June 17, 1996.

Wallis was a patrolman for the town when Engel went missing.

"It's nice we're able to see this all the way through to a recovery and returning the remains," Wallis said. "I can't think of anybody else that went into the lake, that we're aware of, that hadn't been recovered. Thomas was the only one that I'm aware of."

When the body was discovered last October, Wallis was reminded of the 1996 case and tried to track down family members to match the DNA. Wallis worked with a family member to find Engel's biological mother, who provided a DNA sample.

The samples were obtained Nov. 4, 2017 and were turned in to the Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office on Nov. 8. Testing was conducted at the University of North Texas Center of Identification at no cost to the police department.

Originally, Wallis was told the test would take four to six months, but due to being put on a waiting list, the results took nearly 11 months to come back to Wallis and the department.

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When Engel's body was discovered, it was preserved due to the conditions of the lake, according to Wallis. Okauchee Lake is just over 90 feet deep.

"Due to the multiple factors with the depth of the water, the temperature down at that depth, lack of light, lack of oxygen," Wallis said. "It puts you in a preservation mode. This is consistent with other deep-water recovery of remains."

At the time of the discovery, a picture circulated around social media of a body that was claimed to be found in Okauchee Lake. In the photo, the body was missing its head, part of an arm and a foot.

When asked about the photo in 2017, police declined to comment.

"You still decompose but at a slower rate," Wallis said. "We'll leave it at that."

According to a June 20, 1996 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, Engel was boating with a female companion when he went missing.

"A woman who was with Engel Monday told officials she and he were swimming near the boat when he became distressed," the article stated. "She climbed into the boat to throw him something, but when she turned he was missing."

Divers from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office searched for Engel for four days after he went missing, the article said. Efforts included aid from divers from Jefferson and Walworth counties, as well as an underwater camera.

Wallis said he feels for the family.

"He wasn't recovered immediately and you just don't know," Wallis said. "Here's a family that's going through the funeral and grieving process twice now on that same person. In one sense you brought him home, but in the other sense you're going through another sense of emotions reliving it. It's tough for the family."