Air Search Ends After No Sign of Oak Lawn Man Missing in Wisconsin

ADAMS COUNTY, WI -- A six-hour air search conducted over Adams County, Wisconsin, yielded no sign of an Oak Lawn man who has been missing since June 23. William William J. Sheeran, 59, was visiting his sister’s cottage in Monroe Township when he was last seen going for a walk last Friday afternoon.

The air search had been postponed Monday morning due to high winds, but was able to get underway in the afternoon. Law enforcement and volunteers on ATVs spent the weekend searching heavily wooded and farm lands in the area where Sheeran is lost. Volunteers also walked 100 feet on both sides of the roads, but couldn’t venture any further due to water.

A close family friend, Nick Segina, who grew up with William and his siblings in Mount Greenwood, said the family believes their brother may be trying to get home to Oak Lawn. Sheeran recently lost his wife and just sold his home in Oak Lawn. He has been living with family members because of a recent onset of memory loss. Sheeran’s driver’s license still has his former Oak Lawn address.

Adams County sheriff’s police have since learned of a contact William had around 7 p.m. Friday. Segina said William had gone to a house that was locked, thinking it was his sister’s home. William went to another neighbor’s house for help in getting into the locked home. He apparently told the neighbor it was his sister’s house. When they went back to the locked home, the neighbor told William that he would just have to wait for his sister, not realizing that he had been reported missing.

The area where Sheeran is missing is heavily wooded and farmland. Segina, who’s lived in the area for 35 years, said there are many summer homes built on 40-acre land tracts. Overnight temperatures have been in the 40s and 50s.

“There are fire department boats searching the Wisconsin River, but that’s four miles from his sister’s home and the family is doubtful that he would go that far,” Segina said. “Local volunteers are searching still the woods with ATVs. The woods and fields are saturated from a recent rainfall making a foot search difficult in most areas."

Sheeran was wearing tan shorts, a black shirt with a White Sox logo and a White Sox hat. There has been no activity on Sheeran’s debit or credit cards since June 23, the day he was reported missing. Anyone with information on William’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Adams County Sheriff's Office at 608-339-3304.