Plainfield Man's Body Recovered From Indiana Lake

PORTER COUNTY, IN — The body of a 21-year-old Plainfield man was recovered Monday morning, hours after his kayak overturned in the waters off an Indiana beach. Alex Lopez was kayaking with friends Sunday near Porter Beach on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when their kayaks capsized at around 5 p.m., authorities told the Times of Northwest Indiana. Authorities said his friends were wearing life jackets and managed to stay afloat, but he disappeared into the water.

Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris said Lopez was not wearing a life jacket when his body was recovered Monday morning.

Emergency responders from several agencies searched for Lopez for several hours. The search was postponed after dark; it wasn't until Monday morning that personnel aboard a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted his body, according to the Chicago Tribune. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division said conservation officers are investigating the incident as a boating accident and the cause of death as a suspected accidental drowning. In a news release, officials said alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the incident.