Kayaker’s body found in lake nearly 2 years later

Beulah –Nearly two years later, authorities believe the body of a missing kayaker has been found in northern Michigan.

Volunteers with high-tech equipment discovered a body Thursday in deep water in Lake Michigan’s Platte Bay. Benzie County Sheriff Ted Schendel tells MLive.com “they’re the heroes.”

In 2016, Tyler Spink of Kalkaska was paddling with a friend on Labor Day when their kayaks capsized. They had started at the mouth of the Platte River in Benzie County. Spink’s friend was rescued, but the 21-year-old disappeared below the surface.

Bruce’s Legacy is a Wisconsin-based group of volunteers that helps families of drowning victims. It’s named for Bruce Cormican, a firefighter in Black River Falls who died in 1995 while searching for a drowning victim.

Keith Cormican gave credit to Spink’s mother, Kelly. He says she “wasn’t giving up.”