It was a day for fishing on the Columbia River when 47-year-old Dennis Frank Svoboda was last seen in Longview, Washington. On January 21, 1996, he and a friend, Larry G. Mansur, launched their boat for a day on the water. The two men, along with their 15-foot red and white Slickcraft runabout, vanished without a trace. Svoboda, a Caucasian male with brown hair and blue eyes, was wearing a tan coat, blue jeans, and work boots at the time of his disappearance.
He had a close-cropped beard and mustache and wore glasses. Distinctive physical features included the tip of his left middle finger and half of his left index finger being missing.
The initial search for the two men and their boat yielded no immediate results. The vehicle and boat trailer belonging to Mansur were located at the boat launch, suggesting they had indeed entered the river as planned. It wasn't until nearly five months later, on June 9, 1996, that a significant development in the case occurred. The body of Larry Mansur was discovered in the Columbia River near Willow Grove Park, approximately two miles downstream from where the men had launched their boat. This somber discovery confirmed that a tragic event had occurred on the river.
Despite the recovery of his fishing companion, Dennis Svoboda and the 1969 Slickcraft boat have never been found. The boat is described as a red and white runabout with the hull identification number C70021 and registration number WN6776MD. The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office has investigated the case, which is classified as a lost or injured missing person. Without the discovery of Svoboda or the boat, the exact details of what happened on the Columbia River that day remain unknown. The prevailing theory is that the two men were involved in a fishing accident. The case of Dennis Svoboda remains an unresolved and sorrowful mystery for his family and the community.Last Seen: Jan 21, 1996
