Wilmette Harbor Became Recovery Point In Search For Missing Diver: Report

WILMETTE, IL — A nonprofit returned the body of Naperville diver Michael “Mike” Jones, 54, who went missing Sept. 5 during a deep-water dive in Lake Michigan, according to a report by Pioneer Press.

Jones, an oral surgeon from Naperville, went on a technical deep-water dive to explore a shipwreck more than 20 miles from shore near Evanston and Wilmette, according to the report.

After Keith Cormican, whose Wisconsin-based volunteer search and recovery organization, Bruce’s Legacy, was contacted after Jones failed to return to the surface, he said he moved quickly.

Jones’ family contacted Cormican and asked him to go out and look for Jones. Lisa Skarzynski, Jones’ fiancée, told Pioneer Press, “He was just going to be a missing person. I just couldn’t let that happen.”

Cormican said he contacted the Coast Guard Milwaukee Dispatch Center while driving from Wisconsin to say he planned to recover Jones the following morning. After locating and recovering Jones' body from the water, Bruce’s Legacy was received by local authorities and Jones’ family in Wilmette, according to the report.

“And a sincere thank you to the Wilmette Police Department and Wilmette Fire Department for all of their assistance once we arrived back on shore,” Cormican said in a social media post. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to Michael’s family and friends. At the end of every search, this is what matters most — bringing a loved one home and giving a family the answers they have been waiting for. We are grateful that Bruce’s Legacy was able to bring this diver home to his family."

Read more from the Chicago Tribune: After Lake Michigan deep sea dive turns tragic, nonprofit defies hurdles to recover Naperville diver