Roll of Honor
Incident
Game Warden William Peare and Game Warden William Nattkemper drowned in the Wabash River at Tecumseh, north of Terre Haute, after their boat took on water and capsized. The two wardens, along with three other wardens, had just investigated the sound of gunshots and were returning upstream when their boat was swamped by large waves. The other three wardens were able to swim to safety. Game Warden Peare had served with the Indiana Department of Conservation for three years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-CF95ADF5- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Game Warden Peare gave the Indiana Department of Conservation 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Indianapolis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Game Warden Peare.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Game Warden William J. Peare is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 6 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 85.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William J. Peare's cause is highlighted.
How William J. Peare Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William J. Peare is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Indiana Department of Natural Resources are honored on badge.nw.
