Body of missing man found in Hopewell Lake

Searchers have recovered the body of a man who went missing Sunday afternoon, July 26, in Hopewell Lake while fishing with family members.

The body of the 27-yearold man was brought to shore about 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, by members of

Boyertown-based Keystone Water Rescue and Recovery, acting Berks County Coroner Jonn M. Hollenbach said.

The team had been called to the Union Township site after another water search and recovery team, PA CAM Search and Rescue, detected what they thought was the body below the surface after deploying sonar about 10:20 a.m. Hollenbach

said.

They called for divers from Keystone. While divers were getting ready to submerge, the body surfaced on its own about 12:50 p.m.

Keystone personnel brought the body to shore about 1:15 p.m. Deputy Coroner Bonnie Clark pronounced the victim dead at 1:25 p.m.

Hollenbach said the body is that of the missing man. He withheld the man’s name to give the family time to process the discovery.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, in Reading Hospital.

Water- and land-based search and recovery teams resumed the search Tuesday morning, July 28, of the small lake in French Creek

State Park.

Personnel in boats, kayaks and on the ground scoured the lake and shore through much of Sunday night, July 26, and the early morning hours, James Wassell, park operations manager, said Monday afternoon, July 27.

Drones were also deployed.

The search began shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, July 26, when officials were alerted to an incident in which several people, including children, were clinging to the side of the boat and one passenger, the man, was missing.

How the situation evolved and how the man went overboard is unclear, and an investigation continues.