AUTRAIN, MI— A 16-year-old boy drowned in AuTrain Township Friday.
The Alger County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 12:25 p.m. that an unoccupied boat had been found on the western shoreline of the Forest Lake Basin.
An angler had apparently found the vessel on the water and towed it back to the boat launch. Upon arrival, the fisherman found a pickup truck with a boat trailer backed into the launch. The truck was unoccupied.
The Alger County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Forest Service, and the Michigan DNR responded to the scene. Officials determined a 16-year-old male was missing from the Forest Lake Basin campground.
Alger County Rescue 21, Alger County Dive Team, Alger County K9, and the Michigan State Police Dive team were dispatched to assist. After an extensive land and water search, the teen’s body was found about 50 feet off the western shore of the basin in about 5 feet of water.
The investigation concluded the victim was trying to navigate his boat from the camping area to the boat launch when he fell overboard for unknown reasons and drowned.
