'Extremely busy and tragic weekend': 2 Oakland County drownings reported over 4th of July weekend
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Two Oakland County men are dead after separate drownings over Fourth of July weekend.
"This has been an extremely busy and tragic weekend for our rescue team and our partners," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
White Lake drowning
What we know:
The first drowning happened shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday on White Lake. According to the sheriff's office, authorities were called to look for 49-year-old Jason Dwane Brookshire after he went into the water from a boat and did not resurface.
After searching the lake for hours, Brookshire's body was found in about 7 feet of water late Saturday in a heavily vegetated area of the lake.
What we don't know:
It is unclear why he entered the water, and he was not wearing a life jacket.
Authorities said it appears alcohol was a factor in the drowning. An investigation is ongoing as authorities away autopsy results.
Man with dementia drowns in pond
The backstory:
According to the sheriff's office, a call was received just before 4 a.m. Sunday about a missing Springfield Township man with dementia.
The sheriff's office said the caller, the girlfriend of 86-year-old Gerald Vernus Burge, called 911 to report that she noticed his swim trunks missing from his home. Burge was last seen hours before, around 5 p.m. Saturday.
A sheriff's deputy and K-9 went to the home in the 8400 block of Rattalee Lake Road, where a search of the property, including a pond, was conducted. Divers discovered Burge's body in about 7 feet of water.
The Source: This information is from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.