LE CLAIRE, Iowa — UPDATE 4/7: In an email sent out Tuesday, April 6th, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says they won't release the name of the operator of the Triton boat because that individual was a minor. They also say that boat was owned by the Thiel Truck Center out of Pleasant Valley.
ORIGINAL STORY 4/6: The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is withholding information on a deadly boat crash that took place on the Mississippi River Sunday, August 16th, 2020.
The department was submitted a public records request that week on the names of the individuals involved in both boats. Two people died on one of them. Craig Verbeke and Anita Pinc were engaged, according to social media posts made by the family. They were onboard a 1993 19-foot Bayliner when it crashed with a 2007 35-foot Triton. Both ended up dying from their injuries.
The department released two different press releases after the crashes, one seeking the public's assistance, the other reporting that Craig Verbeke had died too, after the incident took place. The second press release said, "Brooke Jewell, 36, of Bettendorf was onboard the Triton boat and suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. There were others onboard this boat as well."
The others have not been named though. In a response to the public information request from August of last year, a person from the department on Monday, April 5th said quote, "All other information contained in the investigative case file is being withheld at this time for reasons that include, but are not limited to, Iowa Code Chapter 22.7(5). The case remains under investigation currently."