Search for missing men from Mount Prospect and Elk Grove in Lake Michigan continues

Rescue crews hope today’s favorable weather conditions will facilitate the search for two boaters from a northwest suburb who went missing Friday on Lake Michigan near Whiting, Indiana.

Indiana state authorities are resuming their search today for two men from a northwest suburb who disappeared in Lake Michigan on Friday.
Courtesy of Indiana DNR Division of Law Enforcement

A third boater was rescued and treated in a hospital.

“Today we have the best weather, wave and wind conditions since the incident,” said Alex Neel, conservation officer for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The missing men, one from Mount Prospect and the other from Elk Grove Village, were among 12 people from the northwest suburbs who were aboard a boat about 1 to 1 ⅟₂ miles off the coast of Whiting on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., a man jumped into the water to swim and cool off, Neel said. Because of the wind and waves, he began struggling in the water.

The boat’s occupants tried to bring the vehicle closer so he could get back in, but due to weather conditions they were unable to do so, Neel said.

At that moment, a second man jumped into the water to help, but he too began to struggle, officials say. Neither man was wearing life jackets, according to Neel.

A third person put on a life jacket and jumped into the water to help, but was unable to reach the struggling men, he added.

The two men, who were not wearing life jackets, were last seen sinking below the water’s surface, Neel said. The man wearing the life jacket drifted away from the boat.

The Indiana DNR Law Enforcement Division responded, along with the Lake County, Indiana Marine Unit, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Hammond Fire Department were called and conducted a search using boats and a helicopter.

“When we found the boat, it was about 2.5 miles offshore,” Neel said.

The person wearing the life jacket was found around 4:30 p.m. He was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for mild hypothermia before being released, Neel said.

“The biggest challenge for us is the enormous size of the search area,” Neel said, noting that searchers had no exact idea where the two missing men were last seen because the boat was drifting on the lake.