Overview

Last Seen: August 22, 2025, at approximately 11:02 a.m.

Location: McKinley Marina, 1750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Age When Missing: 55

Current Listed Age: 56

Status: Missing

NamUs: MP150550

Investigating Agency: Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office

Key Circumstances: Brown was recorded walking toward his sailboat at McKinley Marina. His red-and-white Bristol B32 sailboat, Rossa, disappeared at approximately the same time. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search of Lake Michigan before suspending its active search. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office continued the matter as a missing-person investigation.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Charles William Brown Missing After Sailboat Disappears From Milwaukee Marina

Charles William Brown disappeared from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in August 2025 after he was last captured on surveillance video walking toward his sailboat at McKinley Marina. Brown and his red-and-white sailboat, Rossa, have not been publicly reported found, and his case remains listed as a missing-person case by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: August 22, 2025, at approximately 11:02 a.m.

Location: McKinley Marina, 1750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Age When Missing: 55

Current Listed Age: 56

Status: Missing

NamUs: MP150550

Investigating Agency: Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office

Key Circumstances: Brown was recorded walking toward his sailboat at McKinley Marina. His red-and-white Bristol B32 sailboat, Rossa, disappeared at approximately the same time. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search of Lake Michigan before suspending its active search. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office continued the matter as a missing-person investigation.

Charles William Brown Disappears From McKinley Marina

Charles William Brown, also referred to publicly as Charles or Charlie Brown, was 55 years old when he disappeared from Milwaukee in August 2025.

Brown’s family had last heard from him on Thursday, August 21. The following morning, surveillance cameras at McKinley Marina captured him at approximately 11:02 a.m. walking toward his sailboat.

Authorities subsequently released the surveillance footage as they sought information from the public.

Brown was reportedly wearing a short-sleeved blue-and-white checkered flannel shirt, dark-colored shorts and brown flip-flops.

Brown’s Sailboat, Rossa, Also Disappears

An important element of Brown’s disappearance is that his sailboat vanished at approximately the same time.

Brown kept a red-and-white Bristol B32 sailboat at McKinley Marina. The vessel is named Rossa, with the name painted on its stern, and carried Wisconsin registration number WS1746GL.

Authorities reported that Rossa had also been missing since August 22.

The disappearance of both Brown and his vessel led search efforts onto Lake Michigan.

Coast Guard Searches Lake Michigan

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified on the evening of Saturday, August 23, that Brown was overdue.

The Coast Guard subsequently conducted an extensive search on Lake Michigan for Brown and Rossa. Contemporary news reports said the active Coast Guard search was suspended on Sunday, August 24, after neither Brown nor his boat had been located.

Public reporting did not provide a detailed explanation for why the Coast Guard suspended the search.

Brown’s family described him to local media as an experienced boater.

After the Coast Guard suspended its active operation, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office continued handling Brown’s disappearance as a missing-person investigation and asked people on and around the water to remain alert for Brown or his boat.

Family and Community Search for Answers

Brown’s disappearance also prompted efforts outside law enforcement.

FOX6 reported that Brown’s niece was posting updates on TikTok and encouraging boaters to watch for signs of her uncle or Rossa. Discussions about the disappearance also appeared in Milwaukee-area online communities and missing-person forums.

A Websleuths discussion concerning the case later noted that Brown had been entered into NamUs. The same discussion contains references to social-media conversations involving possible drift modeling, possible debris and other theories concerning the disappearance.

Those social-media claims should be treated as unverified unless independently confirmed by investigators. They may provide avenues for further research, but they should not be presented as established facts about what happened to Brown or his boat.

Latest Information on the Investigation

Brown continues to appear in the Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults. The state currently lists Charles W. Brown as a missing adult from Milwaukee County, missing since August 22, 2025.

The state listing gives his current age as 56 and continues to direct anyone with information to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

CaseTrace also lists Charles William Brown as missing from Milwaukee and identifies his NamUs case as MP150550.

Publicly available reporting located for this case does not establish that Brown or Rossa has been recovered. It also does not establish that investigators have determined what caused the disappearance.

The known circumstances therefore remain centered on Brown’s final confirmed movements at McKinley Marina, the simultaneous disappearance of his sailboat and the subsequent unsuccessful search of Lake Michigan.

What Happened to Charles William Brown?

Brown’s surveillance footage provides investigators with a confirmed location shortly before his disappearance: McKinley Marina on Milwaukee’s lakefront.

What happened afterward remains unanswered publicly.

There has been no publicly confirmed discovery of Brown or Rossa in the sources reviewed, and authorities have not publicly established whether the disappearance resulted from a boating accident or another circumstance.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to publish Brown’s missing-person profile and requests information from anyone who may know what happened.

Anyone who saw Brown, encountered Rossa on or after August 22, 2025, or has information concerning the vessel’s movements is encouraged to contact investigators.

Identifying the Missing Sailboat

Name: Rossa

Type: Bristol B32 sailboat

Color: Red and white

Wisconsin Registration: WS1746GL

Home Marina: McKinley Marina, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Missing Since: August 22, 2025

Information concerning the location of Rossa could potentially provide important information about Brown’s disappearance.

Case Remains Unresolved

More than a year after Charles William Brown disappeared, Wisconsin’s official missing-person clearinghouse continues to list him as missing.

His last confirmed location remains McKinley Marina in Milwaukee on August 22, 2025. His sailboat remains a central part of the case because it disappeared during the same period.

Until Brown or Rossa is located, or investigators release additional findings, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unresolved.