SOUTH HAVEN, MI (WKZO AM/FM) –Authorities in South Haven believe they may have recovered the body of the teen who went missing in Lake Michigan over the Labor Day weekend.
Officials with South Haven Area Emergency Services say they located the body off of the city’s North Beach on Saturday and an autopsy is being conducted to determine if the body is the missing 18-year-old.
The teen disappeared on September 6th when he went under near South Haven’s South Beach. Crews were rescuing a 19-year-old who was clinging onto a buoy in the rough waters and the teen said his friend was apparently trying to swim back to shore when he did not resurface.
Authorities first said that the teens entered the water during a red flag warning, but then later corrected their statement and explained that it was a yellow flag warning at the time, but a strong rip current carried the swimmers into a red flag area. Crews shut down South Haven’s South Beach for the Labor Day holiday due to hazardous conditions and continued their search for the teen, but they had no luck until about a week later.
Family members of the possible drowning victim made a post on Facebook saying:
“The people in South Haven have been wonderful to us. The love, care and guidance shown to us by the various agencies as well as the neighbors and friends of friends made our devastation bearable. We now have some amazing new friends, Craig, Chris, Connie, Mary Anne….I don’t even know how to convey our thanks. Nate, Brandon, Officer Carlotta, Jim, so many officers whose name I didn’t get….from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. To our family and friends, thank you for the food, hugs, tears, donations to help with expenses and help with the animals. I don’t know what we would have done without all of you.”
No other details have been released at this time.
