CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard suspended its search for a 54-year-old male missing in Lake Michigan near Chicago at 2:05 p.m., Sunday.
Missing is Daniel Brown, last seen wearing khaki shorts and a grey t-shirt, who reportedly fell overboard from a sailing vessel, Saturday at about 7:30 p.m.
The Coast Guard conducted 20 searches covering 98 square miles of Lake Michigan starting Saturday evening and continuing throughout the night, with both water and air assets, and until the search was suspended . Searches were conducted by crews from Coast Guard Station Wilmette Harbor, Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor, Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan, Illinois and Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan. Also assisting in search efforts were several local marine units.
At about 7:30 p.m., Saturday, a search and rescue coordinator from Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, located in Milwaukee, responded to a callout, over VHF-FM channel 16, from the operator of the sailing vessel Three’s Company. The callout reported that they had a man overboard in North Belmont Harbor.
The SAR coordinator replied repeatedly to the sailing vessel but was not able to establish communication. The SAR coordinator then directed the launch of a boat crew, aboard a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Wilmette Harbor, and an air crew aboard a Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan. Chicago marine units also responded to the call for help.
The SAR coordinator finally contacted the sailing vessel via phone and received the report of the 54-year-old man, who was not wearing a life jacket, falling off the bow of the vessel when the railing broke. The five other people aboard the sailing vessel saw the man resurface once and then lost sight of him while trying to toss him a life ring. The sailing vessel was disabled at the time of the incident.
A Chicago marine unit towed the disabled sailing vessel to Belmont Harbor and received amplifying information from the other sailors. The sailors stated they were in Lake Michigan between North Avenue Beach and the entrance to Diversey Harbor when the individual fell overboard.
