Ohio authorities have recovered the bodies of two brothers who went missing after being swept away by a riptide on Lake Erie, along with a 64-year-old man who fell into the water in a separate incident.
The Cleveland Metroparks Police announced the discoveries and ended the search on Wednesday, Aug. 20, after finding the bodies of Austin Labbe, 22, and his brother Trent Sanchez, 19, within hours of each other, ABC affiliate WEWS reported. Jeffrey Williams, the older man, was recovered a day earlier on Tuesday, Aug. 19, according to the station.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed Williams’ identity, NBC affiliate WKYC reported.
Labbe and Sanchez’s mother, Tanya Labbe, told CBS affiliate WOIO that the brothers went missing after entering the water at Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio, on Sunday, Aug. 17, where they were swept away by a riptide.
Their sister, Angel Labbe, who started a GoFundMe campaign, described the incident to Fox affiliate WJW, saying, “They were waist deep, they were not too far out and they got drifted far, quick.”
Cleveland Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman expressed his condolences, stating, “Our hearts are with the families impacted by this incident. I want to commend our officers, marine patrol, and partner agencies for their tireless dedication throughout this around-the-clock search in challenging conditions,” according to WEWS.
During the search, Stillman noted in a news conference that the lake conditions were hazardous for swimming at the time. “Anybody that goes in in those conditions obviously is putting themselves at risk,” he said, in a video shared by WOIO.
A few hours after Labbe and Sanchez were swept away over the weekend, Williams fell from a pier, WEWS and WKYC reported.
“We still don’t know exactly what transpired or what caused him to enter the water,” Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman said during the search, per WKYC. “Cleveland fire boat was shortly on scene, was able to actually see the male underneath the water and at the surface, but due to the lake conditions they were not able to get close enough to affect a rescue.”
