The body of a man who police believe is kayaker who went missing in the July 3 thunderstorm was recovered on Sunday from Lake Erie in Monroe County, officials said.
The body was found in about 3-4 feet of water in Lake Erie and about 15 feet from its shore in Berlin Township. Brownstown Township police said the kayaker was identified as Jesus “Chuy” Sanchez, 30, missing since the July 3 severe thunderstorm.
Sanchez is at least the seventh person to die in connection with the massive storm.
Sanchez was kayaking with friends out of Downriver Marina on July 3. He was south of Celeron Island at the mouth of the Detroit River near Grosse Ile when the weather turned rough.
Storm hits as paddlers near Celeron Island
The storm that brought 70 mph winds and knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers blew into the Detroit River and northwest Lake Erie, driving waves as high as 10-20 feet, the Coast Guard reported. The kayakers became separated and capsized.
Jet skiers assisted two of the kayakers and brought them to safety. Sanchez, however, went missing.
Since that time, an extensive search was conducted involving the Brownstown Township Police Department, Brownstown Professional Fire Fighters, Grosse Ile Police Department, Grosse Ile Fire Department, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, U.S. Coast Guard and the Downriver Mutual Aid Dive Search and Rescue Team. Brownstown officers used drones to help in the search.
Still Sanchez was not located.
Body recovered Sunday
Deputies received a 911 call at about 8:30 p.m. from a boater in the area of the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area near the Banana Dikes, they said. The caller told dispatchers he saw what appeared to be a body floating in the water near the northernmost dike, about 15 feet from shore.
First responders arrived in the area and summoned the sheriff’s Marine Division and Dive Team because the area where the body was located was not accessible by land, they said.
After the dive team recovered the body, he was taken to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office in Ohio to be positively identified and for an autopsy, police said.
Detectives learned that on July 3 the Brownstown Township Police Department received a report of a missing kayaker in the area of Celeron Island, they said.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said its detectives are working with the Brownstown Township Police Department and the Lucas County Coroner’s Office to identify the victim.
Anyone with information about the victim or Sanchez should call the Detective Bureau of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (734) 240-7530.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
X: @CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Kayaking with friends when a big storm hit, his body has been found
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
