Shrimp Boaters To Aid Panama Search For Missing Waukesha Woman

WAUKESHA, WI — The search for two missing retired public-school teachers, one from Waukesha, continues in Panama amid pleas for help from the United States government.

Officials in Panama are now enlisting the help of local shrimper boats to drag nets, according to Jake Velleman, son of Deb Velleman, one of the missing women.

Four people and a pilot were on a private plane that crashed off the coast of Panama on Jan. 3, including Deb and Anthony Velleman, of Waukesha, and Sue Borries, 57, of Teutopolis, Illinois.

Anthony Velleman was one of three people rescued after the crash. His wife and Borries are still missing.

Anthony Velleman, 70, of Waukesha will undergo several months of intensive rehabilitation to heal from the extensive injuries he suffered in the crash. He is currently unable to speak, Albert Lewitinn, a Velleman family spokesperson, told Patch.

"Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin have all opened inquiries with the Defense Department and State Department, but no response from either," Lewitinn said.

The Vellemans' sons, Josh and Jake Velleman, told Patch the family is frustrated.

Jake Velleman released a video statement on Thursday:

“I received an update this morning that the Panamanians, who are continuing their search a short distance from here for my mom Deb and her friend Sue— having long ago exhausted their limited resources and with no word from the US government in response to their request for help— are now enlisting the help of local shrimper boats to drag nets. Our family is in pain, we are grieving, and we cannot properly grieve until we recover our loved ones. Why have we not heard from our government? Why are they not coming to our aid? This is not a complex, deep-sea operation. The plane will be found. The question is: when will our government step in to help?"

The Velleman sons said they won't have closure until they find their mother.

"The U.S. Coast Guard is saddened by the tragic accident off the coast of Panama," Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll, chief of media relations, told Patch in a statement. "Our Search and Rescue experts assisted Panama by completing a surface drift analysis and providing probable search areas to help find the location of the passengers and submerged aircraft. U.S. Coast Guard cutters operating in the region do not have the capability to conduct underwater searches."