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HIGHLAND PARK (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Local authorities are still looking for a kayaker who went missing in Lake Michigan Monday night near north suburban Highland Park, even as the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search.
Police were notified about 10:30 p.m. Monday that 20-year-old Sebastian Duncan of Glenview had gone missing while kayaking in the lake, according to a statement form Highland Park police.
His companion, another 20-year-old man, swam to shore and asked for help from nearby homes in Lake Forest, police said. He told investigators they had launched from Park Avenue Beach in Highland Park and that both of their kayaks eventually capsized in rough waters.
The man told authorities that his friend slipped underwater while they were trying to swim back to the shore and did not resurface, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The search was suspended overnight at the Coast Guard’s recommendation because of “deteriorating weather conditions,” police said. Search operations resumed Tuesday morning along a four-mile stretch of Lake Michigan, as well as along the beachfront.
The Coast Guard called off their search about 1 p.m. Tuesday, but said it would be available to provide additional support if requested, according to a statement.
Responders searched about 130 square miles on air and water, stretching as far north as Waukegan and as far south as Wilmette Harbor, according to authorities. Police and firefighters were continuing to search along the shoreline.
Duncan attended Northeastern Illinois University from summer 2016 until spring of last year, according to Michael Hines, a spokesman for the school.