Sheriff: Body of missing Kalamazoo man recovered from Gull Lake
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Police confirm the search is over and the body of a Kalamazoo man who went underwater and never resurfaced on Saturday was recovered Sunday.
Newschannel 3s Nicky Zizaza was at Gull Lake when the recovery was made.
It was another tense day at Gull Lake, but around 8 p.m. Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller confirmed the body that dive teams pulled from the lake was Danyelle Phillips Senior, 39, of Kalamazoo.
According to police, at around 7:30 p.m. divers located the body of Phillips who dove into the lake on Saturday to rescue his 15-year-old son but never resurfaced.
The Kalamazoo County Dive Team, the Kalamazoo County and Barry County Marine Patrol, cadaver dogs and even Michigan State Police SONAR devices were used during the two day recovery effort.
Volunteers and divers from Barry County spread their search into quadrants and combed through areas where witnesses said the boat was last seen.
Fuller confirmed his dive team found the body in water about 26 feet deep and credits the partnership with area agencies for the recovery, but says he is saddened by the incident.
He said, "We have discovered our missing swimmer and he was discovered in an area just south of where we were looking yesterday. We also know that it was in a fairly deep section of the lake and the family has been notified. All the partners that helped us on the search are wrapping up there search right now. I really would like to send our condolences and prayers out to the family and all the loved ones there, this is a very difficult thing for them. They will need a lot of support."
Fuller said there were more than 30 volunteers that helped with the recovery effort.
