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Body of missing fisherman pulled from Lake Michigan

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published  April 29, 2025 12:45pm CDT
Portage
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A 67-year-old Valparaiso man drowned Monday while trying to retrieve his drifting boat from Lake Michigan near Burns Ditch.
    • Michael Barnes went under about 60 yards from shore, prompting a large search involving local, state, and federal agencies.
    • His body was found using sonar equipment and recovered by divers roughly two hours later.

PORTAGE, Ind. - The body of a missing angler was recovered from Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana on Monday afternoon.

Body pulled from Lake Michigan

The backstory:

Authorities said 67-year-old Michael Barnes disappeared beneath the surface of the water around 11:30 a.m. while trying to retrieve his drifting boat near Burns Ditch, according to Indiana conservation officers.

Barnes, of Valparaiso had been fishing from the beach when his boat drifted roughly 60 yards from shore, prompting him to enter the water in an attempt to recover it.

Private fishing boats immediately began searching along with Indiana conservation officers and members of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

Around 1:40 p.m., officers used a remotely operated underwater vehicle equipped with sonar and video and located Barnes. 

Divers with the Portage Fire Department recovered his body and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Multiple agencies assisted in the search and recovery, including fire departments from Portage, Porter, Burns Harbor, and Ogden Dunes, as well as dive teams from Porter County, among others.

The Source: The information in this report came from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

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