By Sharlonda L. Waterhouse / Post-Tribune staff writer

PORTAGE — The body of a 22-year-old Chicago male drowning victim was pulled from the waters of West Beach by divers around 8:45 p.m. Sunday night, after a search lasting more than three hours

By 9 p.m., Porter County Coroner Roger Kleist declined to identify the victim, a Hispanic man, saying that the family had to be notified.

The victim had been missing since 3 p.m., according to Portage police Cpl. John Ryan.

Ryan said the man was initially in the water swimming with a female friend, but that friend later went ashore because she was cold. She fell asleep in the sand. When she awakened about an hour later, she saw no sign of the man, who, witnesses said, was wearing green shorts.

A party of jet skiers initially looked for the lost man, witness Eric Valko, 21, of Schererville said.

The woman walked the shore, searching West Beach and the neighboring Wells Street Beach in Gary for the victim, but to no avail.

Ryan said the woman called Gary police from Wells Street and they in turn called Portage authorities.

The body was pulled from the water just east of the beach pavilion by divers from the Four Seasons special operations unit, Ryan said. In addition to Four Seasons, Portage police were assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard, Lake County Diving Team, the Indiana Department of Conservation, and officials from Ogden Dunes.

The search for the lost man began around 6 p.m and continued through nightfall, with a group of special forces using boats to patrol the water and all-terrain vehicles to probe the shore.

Since no one saw the victim go under, authorities at first were not certain whether the man had simply left the beach or if he had drowned.

At sunset, Portage Fire Chief Tim Sosby acknowledged “there’s a high probability the person is in the water ... we’re going to try and look for him.”

He was found shortly thereafter as wearied spectators dwindled and made their way home.

The drowning puzzled authorities who were not able to immediately identify factors that led to the death. Ryan said currents didn’t appear to be a problem: “When I arrived the lake was calm.”

Reach Reporter Sharlonda L. Waterhouse at 648-3107 or swaterhouse@post-trib.com.

Taken from http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/news/z1/09-13-04_z1_news_03.html