CHICAGO (CBS) — A body was found Thursday during the search for a teenager who disappeared Tuesday in Lake Michigan in northwestern Indiana.
A Beverly Shores police officer confirmed Thursday that a body believed to be that of the missing teen has been found.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed that a 17-year-old from Eagan, Minnesota, was last seen swimming near Kemil Beach in Beverly Shores, Indiana around 2 p.m.
Rescue workers responded to a call for swimmers in distress and found two swimmers and a Good Samaritan in need of medical attention.
According to the IDNR, the search was a recovery mission on Wednesday.
The Porter fire chief said conditions at the beach were rough and the swimmers were dealing with high waves. He believes the swimmer disappeared about 50 feet from shore.
“If you look out on the lake, you can see the waves,” Chief Jay Craig said. “We have 4- to 6-foot waves rolling in and those are just conditions where our divers can’t get in the water [with] the turbulence. They roll in the waves. It is very dangerous. It prevents the boats from getting close to the shore, because they are picked up by the waves.”
According to Beverly Shores Fire Chief Andy Himan, the swimmers should not have been in the water at all.
“People seem to think it’s a body of water, it’s like a swimming pool,” Himan said. “It’s not. Not even close. This lake can change in a matter of minutes.”
The search on Wednesday was limited to the shore due to hazardous conditions along the lakeshore. The IDNR confirmed that a beach hazard statement remains in effect due to 6- to 9-foot waves.
