Body of missing boater found in Lake Michigan after small boat capsizes near Winnetka: fire dept.

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team and Jessica D'Onofrio WLS logo
Monday, June 17, 2024
Body of missing boater recovered from Lake Michigan near Winnetka
One of the boaters managed to swim to two miles to the shore after the sailboat capsized on Sunday.

WINNETKA, Ill. (WLS) -- Coverage of this story has moved here.

On Monday morning, the body of a woman was found in Lake Michigan after crews searched for hours after a boat capsized Sunday night.

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On Sunday, two women sailed from Evanston in a 12-foot sailboat, before it capsized at dusk.

Around 2 a.m. Monday, one of the women swam about two miles to the shore of Tower Road Beach asking for help, according to the fire department.

The woman told authorities the second woman, 50, was still missing.

The Winnetka Fire Department began a search and rescue mission shortly after the first woman was found.

After several hours of searching, the Coast Guard found the second victim's body around 7 a.m. about a mile off shore north of Winnetka. She was taken into Chicago's Montrose Harbor.

The Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed the woman's death. The victim's identity has not been released.

The sailboat was found about two to three miles off shore, according to the fire department.

This comes as crews searched for a man reportedly fell off a boat on Saturday afternoon near the enclosed boating area, also known as the "Playpen," close to downtown.

After about an hour of searching for the 58-year-old man on Saturday, crews called off the search for the night.

Divers were back on Sunday, but there was no word yet if anyone was found. The search was suspended once again.

READ ALSO | Crews resume recovery mission for man who fell off boat at Chicago 'Playpen': CFD