Search for Man Missing in Lake Is Interrupted
Stymied by high winds, investigators Wednesday were forced to suspend their lengthy search for a man believed to have drowned in Silverwood Lake, high in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Dan Gilman, 21, of Phelan is believed to have drowned June 28 while crossing the lake on a Jet Ski. Gilman was carrying several beach chairs when the watercraft apparently broke down.
The beach chairs were clipped to his life jacket and may have contributed to the accident.
“We surmised that he either went into the lake or fell in and drowned,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s spokesman Chip Patterson. “We’ve been looking for him ever since.”
At one point, searchers using sonar equipment believed they had located Gilman in the lake, which is as deep as 150 feet in some spots. But divers could not find a body.
High winds in the area forced investigators to suspend the search Wednesday afternoon.
Sheriff’s Det. Scott Schultz said the county planned to resume the search Wednesday night and continue until 6 a.m. this morning.
“We would like to find him,” Patterson said. “But that lake is quite deep and murky. We’ve been through this before and it’s tough.”
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