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Drowning victim recovered in Pere Marquette Lake

Law enforcement located the body of the man 24 hours after he went missing.
Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
A Coast guard helicopter posted to the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City's Facebook page.

UPDATE, June 18, 10:30 p.m: The Ludington Police Department located the body of the man that went missing on Sunday evening. Jay Cutter was recovered at 8:46 p.m. on Monday night. An autopsy will be conducted in Kalamazoo.

LUDINGTON, Mich. - Crews from Ludington police and fire, the Mason County Sheriff Department and the U.S. Coast Guard were called to Pere Marquette Lake between the Ludington Boat Club and the Ludington Yacht Club just after 7 p.m. Sunday for a man missing in the lake.

According to a release from the Ludington Police Department, three adults and three children were boating in the area when the wind blew an inner tube in the water. The victim -- a 38-year-old Manistee County man -- jumped into the water to retrieve it.

The man was having trouble and the other people on the boat threw him a life jacket, but the wind blew it away from him. The boat operator circled back around but they were unable to find him in the water.

The Ludington police and fire departments, the sheriff and the coast guard launched their boats to conduct a search for the man. The county's dive team is also on scene to find the man. A coast guard helicopter made several passes at the scene around sunset and after, but even after surface and underwater searches -- the man was not found.

Police say crews will continue searching Monday morning with help from Michigan State Police.

According to Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole, search and rescue teams were out on the lake Monday morning, searching with an underwater search vehicle with a light and camera.

The area of the water where the man disappeared is dark and Sheriff Cole says there is a lot of silt in the area. Crews are trying to avoid sending divers into the water to avoid kicking up the dirt and making it more difficult to see. Officials have been able to mark areas they think are important and divers on the boat can go into the water and look for the missing man.

At this point, police say there is no indication that alcohol played a part in this incident. The missing man's name is not being released at this time.

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April Stevens is a multi-platform producer at WZZM 13. Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.

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