Apr 28, 2006 By Josh Krysak 2 min read

LUZERNE TWP. – Emergency officials Thursday said recovery crews scouring the Monongahela River for two Washington County fishermen recovered a child’s lifejacket but still were unable to locate the missing men. Firefighters from Luzerne Township Volunteer Fire Department said a comprehensive search and dive mission is planned for 8 a.m. today under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Officials have spent five days combing the river near the Maxwell Locks and Dam where the fishing boat of Trent Stupak, 40, of Washington and Steve Barry, 36, of Amity capsized around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Thursday at 6:25 p.m. firefighters recovered the lifejacket on the shore near the lock.

Ryan Nichols, fire chief of the Luzerne Township Volunteer Fire Department, said after the discovery, an additional search boat from South Brownville Volunteer Fire Department was called out but nothing more was found.

“We called out more help because we thought things at the lock might be breaking lose but we didn’t find anything else,” Nichols said.

He said the Corps of Engineers, which operates the lock and dam, will conduct the dive today because water levels in the river are dropping and weather conditions have improved the visibility in the river.

Nichols said the river dropped an additional four feet Thursday.

After the accident Saturday, emergency crews recovered the men’s 16-foot bass boat with a fishing pole tied to the boat’s anchor line.

On Tuesday, crews discovered a fishing bucket full of live minnows and a fishing net about a mile from the lock during a search of the river and the banks by teams of volunteer firefighters.

The fire department said Thursday they will continue to operate a command post just downriver from the locks and dam.