Officials ask for public’s help in search for man missing on lake
BROOKFIELD — Authorities say the person who’s been missing and is suspected of drowning in the waters of Candlewood Lake over the weekend is a 24-year-old man.
This first piece of identifying information was revealed Wednesday — the fourth day of the missing person search on the lake.
The individual’s name has not yet been released, nor his body found.
“The search for the missing individual … remains ongoing,” state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesperson Will Healey said in a statement around 1 p.m. Wednesday. He couldn’t be reached for further comment on Wednesday.
The search began Sunday evening after DEEP’s conservation police responded to a report of a person who went missing after going into the water from a vessel on Candlewood Lake.
Healey said the vessel was not moving when the person went missing.
Brookfield police said the man “jumped into the water and never resurfaced.” The department responded around 7:30 p.m. Sunday and its dive teams dove in two areas where it was believed he could be, before turning to sonar technology, police said.
Brookfield First Selectwoman Tara Carr said Tuesday that the person is suspected to have drowned.
Local fire and police agencies, as well as the state police dive team and the Candlewood Lake Authority, have also been involved in the search efforts. Authorities are asking boaters to avoid the area.
DEEP’s conservation police are asking members of the public who were around the Brookfield Bay area of Candlewood Lake between 5:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Sunday to call 860-904-8154.