Indiana Conservation Officer Erick Bolt is investigating a possible drowning at Old Lake in Whitley County Saturday.
At just before 2 p.m. Saturday, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch received a call of a possible drowning behind the residence at 7340 N. 350W on Old Lake.
At the time of the incident, James M. Beck, 29, Fort Wayne, was swimming by himself out from shore to a floating swim raft out in the lake.
His girlfriend was inside a residence at the lake and looked outside to notice him appear to begin struggling in the water. She immediately ran down and jumped in the lake and swam out to him. She was unable to keep hold of him without going under water herself so she let go of him briefly to grab the nearby swim raft. When she turned back around he had disappeared under the surface of the water.
Once emergency personnel arrived on scene divers entered the water and began searching the area where he was last seen.
At 8:45 p.m the body was recovered from the lake in 20 feet of water by members of the Indiana Conservation Officers and Kosciusko County Dive Teams.
Currently, this incident is under investigation by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Whitley County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy was scheduled Sunday in Fort Wayne to determine the exact cause of death.
Other agencies assisting in this recovery effort were the Richland and Thorncreek Township Fire Departments, the Thorncreek Township, Noble Township and Kosciusko County Dive Team, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Whitley County EMS and the Whitley County Coroner’s Office.
