La Crosse Man found in river…AGAIN!!!

Breaking News – Pretty Sad

Student’s body recovered near Riverside Park

By Tribune staff

La Crosse Area Underwater Rescue and Recovery Unit crews recovered the body of missing University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student Lucas Homan at 10 a.m. today in the Mississippi River near Riverside Park.

The La Crosse Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation will continue to investigate his disappearance.

His body will be taken to the Minnesota Regional Coroner’s Office in Hastings, Minn., for an autopsy.

Homan, a UW-L senior basketball player from Brookfield, Wis., was last seen at The Vibe, a downtown La Crosse tavern, early Saturday.

When Homan failed to show for a Saturday golf outing, Homan’s friends grew concerned and called police.

In an e-mail letter sent out to all parents of first-year students, Jon A. Hageseth, director of UW-L’s Counseling and Testing Center, said police used bloodhounds to track Homan to the river. He urged parents to contact their children to offer whatever support they can.

Is there any way that theres NOT a serial killer going after these college kids??? Theres been countless disappearances in the last few years. Im not a conspiracy theorist, but I think law enforcement needs to get on this.

That is sickening. My prayers & thoughts go out to his family.

It’s pretty sad that whatever or whoever is doing this continues to get away with it. Someone needs to step up on this case.

Every time this happens the story comes back as some drunk kid wandered into the water at Riverside park. So why don’t they put up a few cameras on the rivers edge?? It won’t stop this from happening but it would tell us how these guys are ending up in the river. very sad.

Here’s from the noon news:
Body Of Missing LaCrosse Student Found

(AP) LA CROSSE, Wis. The body of a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student was found in the Mississippi River Monday morning, police said.

Lucas G. Homan was last seen around 2:30 a.m. Saturday after he celebrated Oktoberfest downtown, police Capt. Robert Abraham said.

The La Crosse Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations are continuing their investigation of his death, a statement from La Crosse police said.

Homan was a junior at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He played shooting guard as a walk-on at UW-Milwaukee for two seasons before transferring to UW-La Crosse in September 2005.

He graduated from Brookfield Central High School, where he was named the 2003 Greater Metro Conference player of the year.

Homan celebrated Oktoberfest Friday night at a downtown La Crosse bar called The Vibe. His roommates called police Saturday after they had not heard from him — he was not carrying his cell phone Friday night.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student Jared Dion drowned in the Mississippi River in 2004. He was the seventh college student to drown in La Crosse-area rivers since 1997. Police have said the drownings were alcohol-related.

Too bad they were selling cans. After all that has happened, it amazes me that people still think level-headed students would go throw themselves in a river. Give me a frickin’ break.

Make NO mistake about it, I’ve lost audio & video many times on 3rd Street and never once in all the times I’ve been that drunk on 3rd Street have I thought “Hey! I have a great idea!! Let’s go swimming…”

Somehow, someway these people are getting seperated from the crowd and end up at Riverside.

You’d at least think the city would be smart enough to install a few cameras down there. I just don’t get it…

It is sad but true what CT said. I think most(if not all) of these events are alcohol related. You don’t hear of a hockey player missing on the way home from practice. Or a student on his way home from a late night at the library. No, they were all “last seen” in a bar or alcohol related party. It happens all over. The St.Cloud campus has had some too. And even Minneapolis has had theirs. Nothing will change unless they start a active campaign to stop excessive drinking in college towns. Does anyone know the word moderstion anymore.

I agree this is a sad situation…is there anything being done on the campus that is dealing with this? LaX is such a beautiful place and sad that it gets a black mark because of these deaths. Like Blue Fleck said, i to have had my fill of beer on these spots…but never have thought of the river…and if you know my personal life unlike these kids, I would have a million times more reason to jump in…but man, its just not worth it…

I don’t buy the serial killer conspiracy and who said these were “level headed” college kids, thats an oxymoron. More like Young, Dumb and full of……beer. Way too much of it. Why doesn’t anyone look out for each other anymore. When I was in HS the drinking age was 18, we used to go to La Crosse on weekends and many of us drank ALOT, all up and down 3rd st. But we always managed to make sure the drunkest of the group made it home.

Its a sad event and my prayers go out to the family.

Ive heard a few times now that u folks remember drinking there yourselves but never thought to go to or in the river. If so, then why not consider the thought that these may not be accidents???

What happened to his friends??? “You never leave your wingman”

Quote:

---

Why doesn’t anyone look out for each other anymore. When I was in HS the drinking age was 18, we used to go to La Crosse on weekends and many of us drank ALOT, all up and down 3rd st. But we always managed to make sure the drunkest of the group made it home.

Its a sad event and my prayers go out to the family.

---

I agree with you Fish. My old party days in St. Cloud, where most of the bars are within 3 blocks of the river, there was never even an idea to go for a swim. And you always look out for your buddies, even if you didn’t go downtown with them, you make sure everybody, especially the drunkest, get a ride home. There were a few times I ended up walking home cause I gave the last seat in the cab to someone who “needed it more then me”.

Sad stories, each time something like this happens.

Quote:

---

Tests on vitreous fluid taken from within the eye indicated the 21-year-old Homan’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.32 percent, La Crosse County Medical Examiner John Steers said Wednesday

---

Blaming Bartendars isn’t the answer. I’ve seen them turn down wasted people all the time. Oktoberfest weekend is pandamonia. Every bar is WALL TO WALL and nearly impossible to baby sit every drunk. Not trying to argue, but Bartendars/Bouncers don’t serve a lot more than you think.

The only thing camera’s would do is confirm or deny if these guys are “falling in”. Small Irony that all these guys can walk all the way down there w/o falling down, but then fall in to the water.

But I agree something needs to be done….What?? I’m not sure

I have to say Eau Claire’s Water Street is right on the river, plus all of the dorms are across the river and students have to take a foot bridge to get back home. You don’t hear about all of their students ending up in the river do you? I can only think of a couple and those were dares mostly to swim across…Something smells in the old river town down there and it isn’t the dead fish from the fishing tournament.

Guys, its Oktoberfest. LaCrosse population swells from 75,000 people to 275,000 people with one thing in mind…partying.

Poop happens.

Quote:

---

Guys, its Oktoberfest. LaCrosse population swells from 75,000 people to 275,000 people with one thing in mind…partying.

Poop happens.

---

These “accidents” don’t happen just during octoberfest.

If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck…

Quote:

---

How about the bar that sold the last drink to this person be charged with wreckless homicide, closed down for good and have to pay a few million dollars fine to put up cameras as suggested.

---

While the bar is responsible, no mistake about it, you need more history, research on it. If he walked into that last bar and had only 1 drink there, then was cut off, then the previous bar should be held responsible as well.

Bars are responsible if they have intoxicated a patron. However, giving the guy “1 last drink” when it might have been his only drink, passed onto him by his buddy, doesn’t constitute bankrupting and destroying a business owner’s life and family life through a multi-million dollar lawsuit because of what an employee did.

Like you I spent most of my weekends in LaCrosse at either Your Uncle’s Place, Shorty’s or The Party House. With fake ID’s we started at 16 and the partying continued for five or so years. In that time there was only one alcohol related death and that took place in Winona as the result of a car accident. The guy was driving back from LaCorsse and hit another car.

I do know my friends and I stuck together, and in all those years in LaCrosse were never refused a beer by a bartender. Despite the kid’s high alcohol content, I do wonder if there is some type of killer out there. Just a few too many deaths recently.

.32 says it all. If somebody is doing this why is there no physical evidence. If somebody was drugging these guys it would show up in their blood work or there would be some sort of other physical evidence such as trauma or injury to the body. Don’t tell me the police are covering this up either. There would be so many lawsuits if it came out they didn’t disclose information that could have protected the public. I have nothing but compassion and sorrow for the family of Luke but facts are facts and the fact in every one of these accidents is these guys are wasted.

Quote:

---

If somebody is doing this why is there no physical evidence. If somebody was drugging these guys it would show up in their blood work or there would be some sort of other physical evidence such as trauma or injury to the body.

---

Ah there were not drugs in his blood…what about alcohol…someone can get you to drink until you are that way…heck if you’re buying I’m drinkin’

Also there are several drugs that don’t stay in the bloodstream very long or show traces only after a few hours…they are quick to metabolize…Also it is possible the police haven’t revealed all evidence…if they are working an active investigation….

“hey, you want to go to an after bar, i live right this way…”

” you want to go smoke some pot, let’s go for a walk…”

” no, it’s this way to the drunk bus…”

It would be so easy to get someone with a .32 down to the river front and give them a little “push”.

Accidents or not, what I find hard to believe is that there are never any witnesses. A very drunk person walking anywhere is a spectacle; draws attention. Although wasted people are a common site in LaX, someone wasted and going near the river front (especially with a “buddy”) should be noticed by someone. Particularly with this town’s history.

you forgot one:

“hey wanna ? – come with me”