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17-year-old drowns at Camp Dearborn, body recovered

By and Nour Rahal
Published  June 17, 2024 4:39pm EDT
Oakland County
FOX 2 Detroit

Hamtramck 17-year-old drowns at Camp Dearborn

The teen's body was found in six feet of water, approximately 30 feet from shore, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

MILFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 17-year-old boy from Hamtramck drowned at Camp Dearborn Monday afternoon, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

The victim, Alhasan Dahbali, went missing while swimming "shortly after 1 p.m. when members of the group he was with could not locate him," according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Department responded to Camp Dearborn with dive teams for a drowning on Monday.

Michigan State Police and dive teams from several jurisdictions also responded to the scene. 

Dahbali's body was recovered around 2:53 p.m.; he was declared dead at the scene, police said. He was found in six feet of water, approximately 30 feet from shore.

"Everybody was just all hands on deck, trying to help. And it was sad because we didn't see anybody flailing in the water. It was not very many people at the beach," said Karol Wilson, who had just arrived at Camp Dearborn with her family when first responders were rushing to beach area.

"There was no noise, there was no screaming. There was nothing. It was just quiet. Just that – sad quiet," Wilson added.

The camp, which is in Milford Township, does not have any lifeguards. The public beach area is now closed until further notice, according to the Camp Dearborn Facebook page.

Camp Dearborn does have life preservers and signs indicating that this is a "swim at your own risk" beach.

Police believe the drowning was accidental. An investigation is underway.

"Prayers for the family," Wilson said.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Department responded to Camp Dearborn with dive teams for a drowning on Monday.

This is the second drowning that has taken place at Camp Dearborn within the last two years. 

In June 2022, a 10-year-old child died after falling off play equipment, hitting a protruding ladder, and landing in the lake. The boy's family sued the owner of the water playscape at Camp Dearborn in 2023.

No other details are available at this time. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.