Body of missing boater recovered.

Body of missing boater recovered.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SHERIDAN TOWNSHIP— The body of Nathan Troy Munsey, 47, of Goodrich, was recovered from Round Lake Sunday evening. Munsey was staying at Cabin Fever Round Lake Resort, 6503 E. Sugar Grove Road for a family reunion. He and other family members were on a pontoon boat when he apparently jumped from the moving vessel and did not surface. Emergency personnel were initially dispatched to the area at 7:09 p.m. on Saturday, July 18.

Searchers looked for Munsey until 2 a.m. Sunday and then resumed their search at 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sheriff Kim Cole said searchers used side scan SONAR equipment from Ludington Police Department and ran grid patterns throughout the day, launching divers on any potential hits the side scan indicated. Investigators also were able to analyze cell phone data from the others who were on the pontoon boat with Munsey, and track the boat’s course.

“Searcher efforts were hampered by poor visibility in the water, which at times, was less than one foot,” Cole said.

The official search ended at 8 p.m. with plans to begin again today, Monday, at 7 a.m.

At 9:07 p.m. a boater on Round Lake located Munsey’s body floating on the surface, Cole said. Deputies recovered the body and it was turned over to the medical examiner’s office. Fountain Area Fire Department and Life EMS personnel assisted at Sheridan Township Park, 6407 E. Dewey Road.

The case will remain under investigation pending the medical examiner’s report, Cole said.

“The sheriff’s office would like to thank those residents of the Round Lake area who stopped by the command center with water and food,” Cole said. “Also, thank you to the Salvation Army, which provided lunch and dinner.”

Emergency units initially dispatched to the scene included Mason County Sheriff’s Office, MCSO Dive Team, Michigan State Police, Fountain Area Fire Department, Free Soil/Meade Fire Department, Hamlin Township Fire Department (rescue bot and command trailer), Michigan Department of Natural Resources law enforcement, Fountain Area Fire Department Auxiliary, MCSO Victims’ Services, Mason County Emergency Management, and Ludington Police Department (SONAR).

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