Officials confirmed Saturday that the body of a 9-year-old boy was recovered after falling into a north suburban lake Friday, along with an 11-year-old boy, while paddle boating.
Authorities in Wauconda responded to the water rescue at Bangs Beach at 7:20 p.m. Friday. An 11-year-old boy was rescued by local anglers and taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center with injuries considered non-life-threatening, officials said.
The 9-year-old boy was believed to still be in the water while sonar techs and about 15 divers continued searching for him. On Saturday, officials said they continued to search the waters and around noon, police said they recovered his body.
“It had to be quite a struggle for them to be able to try to swim as best they could with how cold the water was, the initial shock to their system couldn’t have helped, probably made things much worse for them as they tried to make their way back to shore,” said Wauconda Fire Division Chief Mike Davalle.“The first boy was very lucky that the fish(er)men were there and were able to help him.”
According to Davalle, 20 different fire departments, along with about 15 sonar techs and 12 divers collaborated in their search efforts Friday to locate and rescue the boys.
A Wauconda fire official estimated the temperature of the water was in the mid 40s.
The boy rescued Friday night was being treated for hypothermia and is expected to be released from the hospital Sunday.
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“The strongest message to send to the community is that, you know, flotation devices, life jackets are extremely important even if you do know how to swim,” said Det. Heather Cognac, with the Wauconda Police Department.
