A boater reportedly located a body in Wilmette Harbor that local authorities believe to be the man that went missing from Winnetka early Tuesday morning.
Village of Winnetka Communications Manager Josie Clark said both the village’s fire chief and police chief are confident the body is that of the missing individual.
After a boater called in the discovery, Evanston, Wilmette and Winnetka units responded to the scene, recovered the body and transported him to the Cook County medial examiner’s office.
The man’s identity has not been made public, but Winnetka officials say he is in an adult in his late teens.
Emergency units responded to a 911 call at 2:12 a.m. Aug. 15 that reported an individual was “pulled under the water” near Elder Lane Beach, 239 Sheridan Road in Winnetka. The missing individual reportedly was with two others at the beach when he went from the pier to the water and did not surface.
The National Weather Service on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning reported “life-threatening currents” near the shoreline of Lake Michigan in New Trier Township and beyond. The immediate search Tuesday was limited because of dangerous water conditions that included high winds and large waves, keeping first responders from entering the water from the shoreline.
Local officials announced the operation had become a recovery mission after several hours on Tuesday, and by 1:30 p.m., authorities ended the search for the day.
The U.S. Coast Guard joined the rescue efforts with water units and a helicopter Tuesday, but did not return to the search on Wednesday, Clark said. The Village continued its search — which used rescue boats, search dogs and multiple types of infrared cameras — through Wednesday evening.
Elder Lane Beach, a property of the Winnetka Park District, has been closed all season because of an eroded and dangerous beachfront.
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