Washington County News

On September 22, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Kewaskum Fire Department joined an ongoing search led by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Fond du Lac County authorities for a missing DNR forestry employee. The employee had last been seen working in the New Fane Trail area and failed to return home. His vehicle was found in Fond du Lac County, with the search area extending toward the Washington County/Fond du Lac County line.

At approximately 7:40 pm, responders located the body of the missing forester in a wooded area within the Town of Kewaskum. The Major Crimes Division of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation with assistance from the Wisconsin DNR and the Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation determined that a lightning strike caused his death, corroborated by records indicating a lightning strike occurred in that vicinity at about 10:15 am that day.

According to national data, lightning strikes cause around 20 deaths annually across the United States.

The victim was identified as Adam Zirbel, age 48, from Plymouth. He worked as a Forester for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Sheriff Schulteis expressed condolences to Zirbel's family on behalf of his agency. “Adam dedicated his life to the service of others as a father, husband, community leader, and DNR forester. We are better off because of Adam’s contributions to society and he will be missed by many. He died performing a civil service to the people of Wisconsin, and for that, we are all forever grateful for his service.”