In a tragic incident this past Monday, a 10-year-old child tragically lost their life while tubing on Lake Huron near Tawas, as confirmed by the Iosco County Sheriff’s Office. The child, identified as being autistic, did not have a life jacket on and separated from their family's group; the boy was found by the US Coast Guard after a 40-minute search and roughly an hour following the distress call, as reported by Audacy, Detroit Free Press, and WNEM.
Emergency services were alerted around 1 p.m. on June 23 to the incident near Benson Road in Alabaster Township; following attempts by family members to rescue the child after they fell from their tube, the child was pronounced dead at MyMichigan Tawas by Iosco EMS, "Due to the depth of the water, they were unable to reach the child," stated the release obtained by Detroit Free Press.
This incident marked the second drowning in the Great Lakes that week, with a St. Clair County man having drowned in Port Crescent State Park last Sunday. Extensive search efforts involved the Iosco County Sheriff's Office, Tawas City Police Department, the Tawas City Fire Department Dive Team, Oscoda Township Underwater Rescue/Recovery Team, Iosco County EMS, Michigan State Police, Oscoda Township Police Department, and the Coast Guard, as per details shared by the involved agencies. Authorities concluded there was no foul play involved in the accident.
