On May 24, 1980, a fishing trip on Palisades Reservoir ended in tragedy when a fourteen-foot aluminum boat carrying eight people was swamped by a wave about 100 yards from shore near the Overlook at the Narrows. The boat was heavily laden, and only one life jacket was aboard. The sudden capsize threw all eight into frigid water with a surface temperature near 51 degrees; the water depth at the site was about 120 feet.

Boaters nearby rescued four passengers, and Peter Bates, clinging to the overturned vessel, helped pull three people to safety. Four did not surface: 38-year-old Laddie Erwin Schiess, his 10-year-old daughter Toni Schiess, 38-year-old Larry Hill, and Hill’s 6-year-old son Rex Hill. Extensive searches were conducted but none of the four were recovered; they are presumed to have drowned.

The reservoir’s size, numerous shorelines and access points made searching difficult.