Man’s body found in lake days after kayak flips with children on board, officials say

A man was found dead in a Wisconsin lake two days after his kayak flipped, authorities say.

Crews had been searching for the man ever since the Tuesday, Aug. 1, incident on Lower Nemahbin Lake, according to the Western Lakes Fire District. The man, who was in his 50s, did not resurface when the kayak he was in with two children flipped, officials said.

Firefighters said the children, who had been wearing life jackets, managed to grab onto the kayak and call for help. The man, whose relationship to the children is unclear, was not wearing a life jacket.

The lake has a maximum depth of 36 feet, and the area where the man first went under is up to 12 feet deep with heavy weeds, the fire department said.

Authorities used drones, divers and sonar equipment in their search but were challenged “with decreased visibility due to the sediment in the lake.”

The man’s body was found at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the fire department. He has not been publicly identified.

Firefighters called the search and recovery mission “busy and challenging.”

“Our sympathies and condolences are with the family and friends of the victim involved in this incident,” the department said.

Lower Nemahbin Lake is a 239-acre lake in Waukesha County about 30 miles west of Milwaukee.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Man’s body found in lake days after kayak flips with children on board, officials say."