Members from the Midwest Regional Dive Team have recovered the body of a missing boater. Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator and Dive Team member Brian Hamman told KJAN News the body of a white male drowning victim in his mid-40’s was recovered this (Tuesday) morning from 12 Mile Lake, about four-miles east of Creston. He says the body was found at about 9:15-a.m. Divers were in the water for a little more than an hour before they recovered the victim.

Hamman says the body was located about 20-yards from the shore of the 635 acre lake that has a maximum depth of 44-feet and 15-miles of shoreline. He says the team was paged out to assist Union County Sheriff’s Department but were cancelled after the Ringgold County Dive Team arrived and determined it was too dark to proceed with the search.

The Midwest Regional Dive Team arrived on the scene at around 7:30-a.m. today (Tuesday). Hamman says while the outcome is not what anyone wanted, he’s glad they could complete the recovery promptly. He says they were very fortunate they were able to make a quick recovery, because sometimes the search can last for days. It’s the second recovery of a drowning victim the team has made this year. The other was a drowning victim near Skidmore, MO.

Union County Sheriff Rick Piel said authorities received a report of an empty boat on the lake at around 6:15-p.m., Monday. Evidence at the scene led officials to initiate a search of the lake, including by use of the Dive Team, which typically responds to incidents of missing swimmers and boaters. The name of victim has not been released, pending notification of relatives.

The Midwest Regional Dive Team has 18 divers, three trainees and up to 25 support members. Their members are comprised of personnel from the Red Oak and Clarinda Fire Departments, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the Adams County Emergency Water Team and the Ringgold County Emergency Dive Team.