Beavercreek man drowns in Lake Michigan trying to save Texas boy

Crews searched Lake Michigan Wednesday, June 13, 2022, after a Beavercreek man and Texas boy went missing and were presumed drowned.

Credit: South Haven Area Emergency Services

Credit: South Haven Area Emergency Services

Crews searched Lake Michigan Wednesday, June 13, 2022, after a Beavercreek man and Texas boy went missing and were presumed drowned.

A 33-year-old Beavercreek man drowned in Lake Michigan, reportedly trying to save a Texas boy who also drowned.

The man was identified Thursday evening as Anthony Paul Diehl by the South Haven Police Department.

His body was found shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday after he went missing around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at North Beach in South Haven, Michigan, the South Haven Area Emergency Services Authority reported.

Crews responded Wednesday to a report of several people struggling in the water. Family and bystanders pulled several girls from the water, but Diehl and the 7-year-old boy from Texas were missing when first responders arrived. Diehl reportedly went into the lake to try to save the boy who was struggling in the rough water.

The boy washed ashore while crews were searching. He was rushed to a hospital, but the child later was pronounced dead.

The search for Diehl resumed Thursday morning and included dive teams and surface crews using underwater sonar.

Witnesses reported that lake conditions deteriorated rapidly before the drownings, and conditions were too dangerous Wednesday evening for dive teams to enter the water, the agency said.

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