Found Deceased IL - Pawel Knych, 45, Missing Boater, Gary/ Marquette Park Beach, Lake Michigan, 11 Aug 2019

[PommyMommy]

AUG 12, 2019
Search for missing boater near Gary beach continues in Lake Michigan
Rescue crews continued to search Monday for a missing boater near Marquette Park beach in Gary.

Witnesses told authorities they saw an unmanned boat circling in Lake Michigan about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Gary police spokeswoman Lt. Dawn Westerfield said Pawel Knych, 45, was on a speed boat that capsized.

She said his cellphone and life vest were recovered with the boat, but Knych has not been located.

Westerfield said authorities were still trying to determine if any of Knych’s family members were on the boat. She did not have an address for Knych.

The state Department of Natural Resources conducted a sonar search Monday morning.

The U.S. Coast Guard provided a helicopter and search boat. Also joined the search were the Gary and Portage fire departments, and the Lake County Marine Unit.

Westerfield said Knych is a white male, about 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 280 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gary police or the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 12, 2019
Police ID missing man from capsized boat in Lake Michigan
[...]

Pawel Knych, was last seen driving a speed boat Sunday afternoon on the lake before it capsized. His cell phone and life jacket were recovered along with the boat by rescuers. The boat capsized around 5:50 p.m. Witnesses said they saw a person leave the boat which then began circling in the water unmanned.

Rescuers were able to regain control of the boat, but Knych has yet to be found. It is unknown if the person described by witnesses was wearing the life jacket when they jumped into the lake.

[...]

Search Underway For Missing Boater, Pawel Knych, Near Indiana Beach

• The missing man was wearing a gray t-shirt and white swim trunks.
• Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Gary Police.

MAP: Google Maps

Search Underway For Missing Boater, Pawel Knych, Near Indiana Beach

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 12, 2019
Search underway for missing boater at Gary beach
In a news conference, officials said Knych may have been ejected from the boat.

UPDATE: Police continue search for missing boater on Lake Michigan
[...]

On Monday morning and afternoon, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Portage Fire Department used sonar to try to find Knych, said DNR Law Enforcement Conservation Officer Terri Millefoglie. The Coast Guard, Gary Fire Department and Gary Parks Department lifeguards also assisted.

The Lake County sheriff's marine unit searched later in the day before suspending it due to the weather, Millefoglie said. Gary police planned to keep looking along the beach with ATVs and four-wheelers until about 10 p.m., and agencies intended to resume the search Tuesday morning.

[...]

Beachgoers on Jet Ski-type crafts also searched Sunday but were unable to locate the man, Shepherd said. Officials believe only one person was aboard the boat.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 13, 2019
Briefs
The search continued into its third day Tuesday for a man who went missing after his speedboat capsized Sunday evening in Lake Michigan off Marquette Park Beach.

The search focused during the morning in the waters between Marquette Park Beach and Wells Street Beach to the east, said Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Conservation Officer Terri Millefoglie.

[...]

 

[TatianaBarbie]

Comments include talking about what eyewitnesses may/may not have seen:

Region News Source

 

[PommyMommy]

Sad news. Rest in peace, Mr. Knych.

AUG 26, 2019
Body of missing Itasca man found along Lake Michigan
A northern Indiana coroner says a body found along Lake Michigan is that of an Itasca man who vanished while boating on the lake.

Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes said Monday the body is that of 45-year-old Pawel Knych. Preliminary findings indicate that he died from blood loss after suffering multiple significant injuries consistent with being struck by a watercraft.

[...]

Coroner: Body found in Lake Michigan is missing Illinois man
[...]

His body washed up Friday at West Beach in nearby Portage, Indiana.