SYLVAN LAKE, Mich. – The body of a Sylvan Lake man was recovered from the lake hours after his boat was found floating unattended.

Witnesses said that 84-year-old Louis William Petro took his boat out on the lake at around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 9, 2024. He was a regular boater and was alone. At 5:15 p.m., his boat was found floating unmanned in the water and witnesses called police.

Other boaters tied up the drifting boat. When officers arrived, they found Petro’s cell phone, wallet and car keys in the boat. There were no signs of a struggle, foul play, or drug or alcohol use.

Dive teams, the sheriff’s office drone unit and an aviation unit assisted in the search. Boats equipped with side-scan SONARs were also used to search the lake.

Petro’s body was discovered by divers at 10pm on Friday. He was found in 1.5 metres of water, about 60 metres from the shore. He was not wearing a life jacket.

According to the sheriff’s office, Petro is the eleventh person to drown in an Oakland County lake this year.

“In what has already been an extremely tragic summer, the loss of another person enjoying the water is very sad,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “While we do not yet know what happened in this case, we encourage people who are not strong swimmers or are alone in the water to consider using a flotation device.”

The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team is investigating the drowning.

—> Body of missing Sylvan Lake boater found 200 feet offshore in Oakland County