Body of man, 84, recovered in Sylvan Lake after boat found drifting

Hours after a boat was found drifting in Sylvan Lake on Friday, the body of its owner, a Sylvan Lake man, 84, was recovered in the lake.

Louis WIlliam Petro's body was found by the Oakland County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team and Southeast Michigan Dive Group divers at about 10 p.m., according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. His body was found in 5 feet of water about 200 feet from the shore.

The preliminary cause of death is drowning. Petro, a regular boater, was alone in the boat and not wearing a life jacket, according to the sheriff's office.

Petro was seen taking his 18-foot Glastron pleasure boat onto the lake by other boaters at about 2:30 p.m. His unoccupied boat was seen drifting in the water at about 5:15 p.m. and authorities were notified.

Boaters tied up the drifting boat. Deputies later found Petro's personal items, including a cell phone, wallet and car keys, inside the boat.

There were no signs of a struggle or foul play, according to the sheriff's office. There was also no evidence of alcohol or drug use.

“In an already extremely tragic summer, the loss of another person while they were enjoying the water is very sad,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a news release. “While we don’t know what happened in this case yet, we encourage people if they are not strong swimmers, or they are alone in the water to consider using a floatation device.”

Petro's drowning is the 11th in an Oakland County lake this year.

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The sheriff's office was assisted by Dive Group strike teams, including Chesterfield Township Public Safety, Macomb County Sheriff's Office, Lapeer County Sheriff's Office, Livingston County, Genesee County Sheriff's Office and the Wayne CountySheriff's Office.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office drone unit and aviation unit also assisted in the search, as well as boats equipped with side scan SONAR. T

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team is investigating the incident.