Authorities recovered the body of an unidentified man from Lake Michigan at West Beach Friday morning.
A law enforcement officer at the scene said a Gary couple discovered the body about 8:45 a.m. Friday. Authorities completed their initial investigations about three hours later.
Nine different law enforcement and rescue agencies — the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, or IDNR, the National Park Service police, Portage, Gary, Odgen Dunes and Lake County Police Departments and the Portage and Gary Fire Departments and the Porter County Coroner — worked through high waves to retrieve the body and used all-terrain vehicles to return to their vehicles at the beach house.
The body was found about a quarter-mile west of the beach house and a quarter-mile east of the Lake-Porter county line.
Beach lifeguards directed a smattering of beach goers farther west along the beach and away from the recovery scene.
The National Weather Service issued warnings about beach conditions, but the waves “likely are what brought the body ashore,” said Tyler Brock, public information officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Brock said the Porter County Coroner will examine the body and provide an identification to the public after next of kin was notified.
Ken Mehne, a law enforcement specialist with the National Park Service lauded the cooperation of the various agencies in their responses and investigation of the scene.
“This really was a great response by all the agencies involved,” Mehne said. “The National Park Service is very thankful to have this cooperation, especially since the body happened to show up on the park service area.”
On Aug. 11, an Illinois boater went missing near Marquette Park in Gary. Pawel Krynch, 45, of Itasca, Illinois, was reported missing. His body has not been located.
Authorities received a 911 call about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 11 and witnesses told police they saw an unmanned boat circling in in the lake.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Alex Neel said Krynch had driven from Illinois, trailering his boat, which he launched at the Portage Marina. Neel said Krynch stopped to meet with friends on the beach at Lake Street and went back to his boat.
“The problem is nobody saw him go into the water so there’s no good last location,” Neel said.
Police recovered his cellphone and life vest along with the boat.
The state Department of Natural Resources conducted a sonar search Aug. 12. Gary police searched with a drone and rescue boat along with a Portage rescue boat and a Lake Marine unit. Other searchers rode a jet-ski as they scanned the waters near the shore.
Michael Gonzalez is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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