LAKESIDE MARBLEHEAD, Ohio — UPDATE: On Sunday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that they had recovered the victim who fell overboard in Lake Erie near Bass Island on Tuesday and confirmed his identity.
Earlier in the week, the missing boater was confirmed as Samuel Ickes Jr., 21, a father of two from Fremont, Ohio, according to Marblehead police.
Marblehead police provided the following message from a friend of Ickes: "'Sam has two sweet babies and his girlfriend Mckenzie, who want nothing more than for him to make it home!' the friend, Morgan Vanover, writes on Facebook. 'The power of prayer can work miracles, please share and continue to pray! Let’s bring Sam home!'"
The original story is below:
The U.S. Coast Guard Wednesday night suspended the search "pending further developments" for a 21-year-old man who fell overboard near South Bass Island in Lake Erie Tuesday.
The Coast Guard told WTOL 11 that the man went overboard and was separated from his 27-foot boat around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials said there were three other people on board at the time of the incident, and that they tried to rescue the man but the wind and current pushed him away.
People along the lake hoped for a positive outcome.
Nancy Lowery, a tourist at nearby Marblehead, said she's hopeful for the best. "It makes me feel anxious [and] hopeful that they will be found and that everything will be okay and that they're safe."
The Coast Guard said the duration of a search is usually dependent on weather and water temperatures.
Crews from Marblehead and AIRSTA Detroit, as well as other agencies, are assisting the Coast Guard with the search.
MORE LOCAL HEADLINES FROM WTOL 11:
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.
Click here to get on the list!