William and a group of friends from Thornton, Colorado, were spending the weekend at Lake McConaughy, near Ogallala. On May 26, 1984, at about 11:00 a. m. , William and his friend Kevin left in a canoe to go fishing along the south bank of the lake. At 12:30 p. m. , their friends began searching for them and continued looking for them throughout the afternoon. The weather was windy, and waves were breaking from three to five feet high. There were very few boats out on the lake because of the weather. At 4:45 p. m. people in a power boat spotted the tip of William and Kevin's canoe sticking out of the water, about a quarter mile west of Arthur Bay on the north side of the lake and about 150 yards from shore. Kevin was found drowned. Despite searches conducted by the Sheriff's Department, William has never been found.