Body of Missing Boater Found in Lake Michigan

The search for a missing man in Lake Michigan ended Tuesday afternoon as search crews from the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police located the body of the man on the shore of Lake Michigan in northern Muskegon County, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said in a press announcement this afternoon.

The search commenced Monday night after a watchstander at Coast Guard Station Ludington, Michigan, received a phone call from the man’s friend reporting that the man had not reached his destination.

The missing man left Whitehall Marina in Whitehall, Michigan, at 1 p.m. and told his friend that he was going to sail 39 miles north in Lake Michigan to Snug Harbor in Pentwater Lake. When the man had not reached Snug Harbor by 7 p.m., his friend called Coast Guard Station Ludington.

At 10 p.m., after receiving a report from a Good Samaritan, searchers discovered the man’s boat on Lake Michigan approximately five miles north of the entrance to White Lake with all equipment and life jackets aboard.

Rescue crews from Coast Guard Station Muskegon, Michigan aboard a rescue boat, and a rescue crew from Air Station Traverse City, Michigan aboard a Dolphin helicopter searched throughout the night and this morning. Also searching were rescue crews from Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The cause of death is currently under investigation. The man was not wearing a life jacket.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the man's family and friends,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Dillan Clark, the officer-of-the-day at Coast Guard Station Muskegon. “This is a tragic end to an exhaustive search. We hope that everyone can learn from this case. The Coast Guard recommends wearing a life jacket at all times while underway on a boat.”

uscgnews.com