The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are searching Morse Lake for a man who has been missing since Monday night.
While authorities are not releasing the name of the individual at this time, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Ryan McClain told The Reporter the person they are searching for is a 45-year-old white male from Cicero with brown hair who was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black and green insulated flannel shirt and brown boots between 10 and 11 p.m. on Monday, April 6.
According to McClain, the missing man was with friends Monday evening. “He had possibly dropped a friend off at the marina,” McClain said. “On his way back from there to go back to his parents’ residence something happened.”
The Sheriff’s Department found his empty boat at a dock in the Forest Bay area, where it had run into another boat. The engine was still running.
“We do believe he is in the lake, we just haven’t been able to find him yet,” McClain said.
McClain told The Reporter the DNR has been integral in the search process.
“The DNR had a dive team as well as two boats with sonar capabilities that did a grid search from his last known location between his residence and the entrance to the no-wake zone near the neighborhood,” McClain said. “We also had drones from Hamilton County Emergency Management, which will be back out over the lake tomorrow [Friday].”
Spring weather has made the search a challenge.
Divers told McClain visibility has been very poor underwater because the current has been stronger than normal due to rain.
Hamilton County EMA Director Shane Booker told The Reporter two pilots were flying drones over Morse Lake to help with the search as early as Monday night, but wind has affected drone capabilities since then.
“The drones are rated to fly in wind up to 40 mph,” Booker said. “We don’t like to fly when it’s that windy. It drains the batteries pretty quickly. Normal flight time is about 30 minutes, but that can be significantly reduced when we are flying in high wind. It is also a problem with takeoff and landing.”
According to Hamilton County Reporter Chief Meteorologist Paul Poteet, in recent days there have been wind gusts over 60 mph.
“One of the things we will look at tomorrow [Friday], if we can fly, is not only doing a visual search, but also taking the necessary images to have GIS stitch together to do their analysis to see if they find something we don’t,” Booker said.
McClain told The Reporter citizens may see police activity in the area as the search continues.
If you have any information, call the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department dispatch at (317) 773-1282 and ask for Detective Petty, who is leading the investigation.
Information including the name and a photo of the missing individual will be soon posted on the Sheriff’s Department social media pages, allowing you to contact the department electronically.
Photos provided by Hamilton County EMA
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