Northwest Indiana family mourns son who drowned in Lake Michigan: 'He knew we loved him'
Northwest Indiana family mourns son who drowned in Lake Michigan: 'He knew we loved him'
A Northwest Indiana family is mourning the loss of their 22-year-old son after he drowned while swimming in Lake Michigan at Marquette Park Beach.
GARY, Ind. - A Northwest Indiana family is mourning the loss of their 22-year-old son after he drowned while swimming in Lake Michigan at Marquette Park Beach.
The backstory:
Jalen Robinson went to the beach with his girlfriend and friends on July 19 for what his family expected to be a fun summer outing.
His parents said Robinson was pulled into deeper water around 5:30 p.m. Despite rescue efforts, his body was recovered about two hours later, around 7:30 p.m.
His parents said the family had planned to spend the evening together after his beach trip. His father had already picked up pizza for a family night, but Robinson never returned home.
"I ordered pizza from Miller Beach and I’m like, ‘Go have your fun. There will be pizza here waiting for you.’ They were supposed to have the whole family day when they got back, but that never happened," Robinson’s father said. "The next day, we were eating pizza that was never opened. Everything went out the window."
His parents said they made sure Robinson knew he was loved every time he left the house.
"He knew we loved him because we definitely said that every day going out the door to all of these kids," his mother said.
"We all go about our day thinking we have tomorrow, and we don’t. We are all on borrowed time. He went out there to have fun, and he never came home," Robinson's father said.
What's next:
Indiana conservation officers are investigating the drowning.
Marine reports from southern Lake Michigan that day showed waves between 2 and 3 feet in some areas, with some beaches reporting dangerous currents. Officials have not said whether those conditions played a role in Robinson’s death.
Robinson’s family said the waves appeared high that day, but they did not see any beach warning flags when they arrived. They are now urging others to use extra caution when swimming in Lake Michigan.
A GoFundMe has been created to help Robinson’s family cover funeral expenses.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Leslie Moreno.