Man Who Drowned Trying To Save 3 Children Identified

PRAIRIE DU SAC, WI — On Monday, authorities have identified the father of three who drowned in the Wisconsin River trying to save his children.

According to the Sauk County Sheriff's Office, Kou Her, 53, of Madison, was out fishing on the river on Saturday when his children swam out into river. An NBC-TV report stated that Her and his wife swam into the river to retrieve the their children.

Her's wife and three children survived, however Her did not resurface and later drowned. His body was found by boaters Sunday morning roughly 10 miles down-river from the Prairie du Sac Dam.

“We were hoping for a miracle,” Lieutenant James Hodges with the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said in a WKOW-TV report. “Hoping that he would come back up the shoreline, that he got lost and you know we would find him later.”

Saturday's Tragic Events

Authorities said they were alerted that three children and two adults were struggling in the water in the area of the dam at 9:07 a.m. on Saturday. The children had been swimming and had on life jackets but their parents became concerned they were too far out from shore, so they swam out to help bring them back, according to NBC15.

Although Her's wife, and three children returned from the water, Her did not, according to the Sauk County Sheriff's Office. Sauk County deputies, Sauk Prairie police, Sauk City and Prairie Du Sac fire and Sauk Prairie Ambulance officials converged and found the three children and woman uninjured, officials said.