ETNA GREEN - A Rochester man drowned Sunday morning when the boat he was hunting from capsized.

Michael Elliott, 28, Ind. 25, Rochester, was found dead almost an hour after the accident occurred at the J&M Gravel pit.

The 12-foot boat, carrying three waterfowl hunters and their hunting dog, began to take on water and capsized shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday. The three men were thrown into the water 150 feet from shore. Mark Senff, the driver of the boat, said he saw Elliott swimming to shore behind him and Jeff Kinsey holding on to the overturned boat.

Senff said Elliott attempted to swim back to the boat for an unknown reason. Senff reached shore and could not see Elliott, so he ran to a nearby house and called police.

Kinsey managed to keep afloat on the boat and paddled it to shore, but the two men could not locate Elliott.

Indiana conservation officers and Kosciusko County sheriff's deputies began a recovery operation. Divers from the sheriff's department, Warsaw Police Department and State Police located Elliott's body in approximately 15 feet of water, almost 150 feet from shore. EMS members started CPR and transported Elliott to Kosciusko Community Hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Elliott's death was ruled an accidental drowning.

Police said the boat was carrying too much weight and the overload contributed to the boat capsizing. There were no personal flotation devices on the boat. [[In-content Ad]]