Lansing Man Drowns At Spring Mill Pond Sunday
August 14, 2017
UPDATE: The victim has been identified as 18-year-old Caelond Travis Pearson of Lansing.
A drowning at the Island Lake State Recreation Area sparked a large scale recovery effort involving multiple departments this past weekend.
The Green Oak Township Police and fire departments were called out around 7:19pm Sunday to the Spring Mill Pond for a reported drowning. Authorities say an 18-year-old Lansing man had been floating on a personal inflatable raft in the Spring Mill Pond when he fell and became submerged below the surface. The man was said to be outside of the marked swim area and was relying solely on the inflatable raft to stay afloat. Police say the victim did not know how to swim and the drowning had been witnessed by other family members that had gathered at the park for a party.
A coordinated effort to locate the victim was started once emergency responders arrived on scene. After conducting an underwater search, the victim was located by members of the Livingston County Dive Team in water that was approximately 24 feet deep, roughly 35 yards from the shoreline. The victim was submerged beneath the surface for approximately one hour and 45 minutes before being removed from the water and pronounced deceased. His identity is not being released, pending notification of all family members.
The Hartland and Howell Fire Departments, U of M Survival Flight and Livingston County EMS assisted at the scene. (JM)