Six Souls Aboard, and a Sheriff's Release That No One Wanted

In the quiet towns of western Wisconsin, where the autumn leaves have begun their slow turn and the evenings arrive earlier each day, a small aircraft lifted off from Kenosha on a Tuesday night. It carried six souls bound for Menomonie. It never arrived. Somewhere near Mirror Lake State Park, in the dark and the rain, the plane went down.

The Sauk County Sheriff's Office released the names of the victims on Thursday, ending days of uncertainty for families and communities across the region. The pilot, 63-year-old Ronald R. Riek of Woodville, was a businessman and an experienced aviator who owned the aircraft. With him were Tyler J. Harvey, 36, of Cadott; Mary K. Brion, 67, of Nelson; Kayla C. Turpin, 39, of Eau Claire; Amanda M. Haremza, 45, of Altoona; and her 13-year-old son, Rylan Haremza, also of Altoona .

The Piper PA-46 had departed from Kenosha and was en route to Menomonie when it crashed around 9:30 p.m. in the Town of Dellona, north of Park Lane and west of Herwig Road . The Wisconsin Dells area, known for its scenic rock formations and tourist draws, became the site of something far heavier that night. First responders searched the densely wooded terrain immediately, but all six aboard were pronounced dead at the scene .

The mother and son, Amanda and Rylan Haremza, were among those lost. A family's ordinary Tuesday evening—perhaps a return from a trip, a visit to relatives, or simply a flight home—became something else entirely. The other passengers, each from small Wisconsin communities, carried their own stories: a businessman from Woodville who loved to fly, a woman from Nelson, a man from Cadott, a woman from Eau Claire. Their names now sit together in a sheriff's office release, a document no one ever wants to read.

Details about what caused the crash remain under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to examine the wreckage, the weather conditions, and the pilot's communications. In the days following the crash, reports indicated that the pilot had radioed about ice building up on the wings during a thunderstorm, a condition that can quickly overwhelm even experienced aviators . But officials have not yet drawn conclusions.

For now, the focus rests on the six names and the communities that held them. Woodville, Cadott, Nelson, Altoona, Eau Claire—small towns where everyone knows someone, where a loss like this ripples outward through churches, schools, and coffee shops. The Sauk County Sheriff's Office has asked for patience as the investigation continues, and for privacy for the families as they begin the long work of grief.

AI Image Disclaimer: The accompanying visual is AI-generated and does not depict the actual crash site or victims.

Sources: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, WFRV Local 5, KLFY