Fire departments from Boscobel, Blue River, Muscoda and later Wauzeka were called to the Wisconsin River Sunday at 4:15 p.m. after receiving a report of a canoe with three women missing. They were part of a group of 31 people from suburban Chicago that had rented canoes from Wisconsin River Outings in Boscobel for the weekend.

An airplane from the Department of Natural Resources was later called to join the search, but it was called off after a cell phone call revealed that the women had left the river early and were halfway back to the Chicago area.

Conditions were extremely windy Sunday, which may have prompted the women to get an early start from the rest of their group. The confusion was cleared up after someone suggested accounting for cars remaining in the boat landing and realizing the car that the women had traveled to Boscobel in was gone.