Detroit, MI
'Dropped something?': Local scuba diver will retrieve almost anything underwater
Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick diving in a quarry while working on her advanced open water certificate. (Provided by Lisa Eick)
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) – Wedding rings, false teeth, holstered firearms, and someone’s ashes – it’s not just wallets and mobile devices that Lisa Eick will fetch for those enjoying lake life before they lost their grip.
While cell phones do make up almost half of what the Clinton Township diver retrieves, she will take any calls she can get.
“I found a phone while I was looking for a wallet, a wallet while I was looking for a phone – so there’s all kinds of stuff down there,” Eick said. “But I never find extra diamond rings.”
If there is one thing that living in a state surrounded by water can guarantee, it’s people enjoying time along the beach. And where people go, their clumsy habits are sure to follow. But that’s where Eick’s business comes in.
Through her business Maiden Voyage Adventures, she has spent years diving beneath the surface to retrieve lost treasures, providing many around metro Detroit with the joy of reclaiming their valuables.
And she has seen a lot of valuables.
“Phones are about 40% of what I get,” the 36-year-old diver said. “Keys are a big one, sunglasses, or prescription glasses are big, (and) wallets. But I also cut off ropes around props.”
Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick with an heirloom ring she found for a client at Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach Marina. (Provided by Lisa Eick)
From passion to career
Eick has lived and worked across the U.S. in California and Wisconsin, as well as abroad in Mexico and New Zealand. A passion she discovered with a friend soon turned into a business venture.
“I went out diving with (a friend) a few times and just loved it,” Eick said. “And then when he passed away, I was kind of looking for some more work.”
It took her two weekends to become open-water certified. Since then, she’s earned her advanced open water certificate and has plans to become a divemaster and instructor.
In 2021, Maiden Voyage Adventures was born, though not as a career. It was meant to be a side gig where she could earn some cash to keep her afloat. What started as a service for backpacking trips and sea kayaking soon spiraled into something a bit more specialized – diving for people’s lost belongings.
Eick has searched for people’s lost belongings as deep as 20 feet underwater, she said. While she’s sometimes asked to fetch jewelry in area lakes, most of her calls are to shallow marinas.
The length of her searches can vary, though usually she finds lost items with ease.
“If people know where they dropped something, I can find it pretty quickly,” Eick said. Though, if the caller has been drinking, it isn’t always as easy.
“This has happened before, especially after a few drinks. Maybe if they have the location wrong, it can take a little while, but usually it’s quick,” she added.
How she finds lost valuables
Eick is discreet about the exact methods she employs to locate lost items underwater, but before each dive, she gears up with a dive suit, mask, a snorkel and other equipment – one of which is a weighted belt to counteract buoyancy.
Sometimes, people will try retrieving possessions themselves by using a net. It usually fails and only further submerges their lost items. But she’s prepared for that complication as well, using a metal detector when it comes to small metallic items like jewelry.
While losing something may be an annoyance for people – Eick loves diving for belongings.
“I mean just the reward of finding a lost item and then people are so happy to get their stuff back,” she said. “It’s just very satisfying. And then when I get to find stuff like family jewelry… that’s extremely satisfying to get that kind of unique stuff back.”
However, the drawbacks include frequent ear infections and hair issues due to showering after each dive.
An old shoe found by recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick. (Provided by Lisa Eick)
Unusual finds
From Port Huron to Detroit, Eick will meet you where you dropped your item. Anything outside of that may result in extra fees for the client.
But no matter where she dives, great stories have come out of some bizarre discoveries.
“I definitely find some interesting stuff. I found a golf cart once; that was a lot of fun. Obviously, it was easy to find,” Eick said. “I did find an urn one time. It could have been an animal. I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely an urn with some ashes, so I took it out to deeper water and left it there. I don’t want to bring that home,”
Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick with an urn she found while diving in Halfmoon Lake in the Pinckney Recreation Area. (Provided by Lisa Eick)
Other finds include shoes, glasses, a porcelain dental bridge – which is harder to find since she could not use a metal detector to locate it.
She’s even recovered some guns.
“I had a couple of weeks last year where I was getting quite a few firearms – everybody was just dropping their guns. All of them were loaded. Two of them were in holsters, but the third one wasn’t and didn’t have the safety, so I was very nervous about that one,” Eick said. “But fortunately, I was able to see it just barely sticking out of the mud, so I didn’t have to feel around in the dark for a gun.”
Other finds are less dangerous and more sentimental. Some people lose their phones that have photos of their loved ones who have died but weren’t backed up.
“That’s happened I think three different times,” she said. “I’m really happy to get those back, and usually the phone will work.”
While her busiest season is approaching, Eick is always available to recover lost items – unless she’s underwater, on another call.
During the winter months, calls are rare. However, this winter she will stay busy teaching diving at Bruno’s Dive Shop in Clinton Township.
Tips from Eick herself
If you drop something in water, here are some things you should know before giving Eick a call.
- Do not use a net to retrieve items dropped in the water. It will bury the item.
- Keep track of the exact area where the item was dropped, it will allow her to find it faster.
- Avoid diving into marinas to search for your item yourself, as electricity from boats that are plugged in could lead to electric shock drowning. Eick uses a device to detect electrical currents in water before diving in.
Upon discovering Eick and her services, it’s not uncommon for people to call her up again.
“I get a lot of repeat customers. I think I had one guy call me five times one season, but that’s unusual,” she said. “I’ve gotten the same phone multiple times. I’ve gotten the same pair of glasses multiple times.”
To contact Eick, call 586-873-8110 or message her on the Maiden Voyage Adventures Facebook page. Other details can be found on her website.
“I am very lucky to get to do this,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick with a sign for her business, Maiden Voyage Adventures. She finds lost items for individuals around metro Detroit. (Provided by Lisa Eick)
Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal throws vs Jahmai Jones in simulated game
Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal faces Jahmai Jones in a simulated game Monday, June 1, 2026, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Almost every Detroit Tigers hitter looks improved through three games in June, but Dillon Dinger continues to go above and beyond. He put the Tigers on his back for a sweep of one of MLB’s best teams.
The Tigers scored in each of the first four innings en route to a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, June 3, in the finale of the three-game series at Tropicana Field, sweeping the series for a three-game winning streak.
It’s the first sweep for the Tigers since April 14-16.
Dingler hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning.
Facing the Rays, Dingler hit .462 (6-for-13) with three home runs and nine RBIs across 14 plate appearances. The 27-year-old drove in four runs apiece in Monday’s opener and Wednesday’s finale.
He is hitting .241 with 14 homers and an .830 OPS in 56 games.
The Tigers improved to 25-38, while the Rays, who entered Wednesday with the best record in the American League, dropped to 36-23. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Tigers are 10½ games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.
More importantly, the Tigers experienced a run-scoring breakthrough at Tropicana Field.
The offense scored 81 runs (with 18 home runs) through 28 games in May, only to score 25 runs (with 10 home runs) in the first three games in June.
On the mound
Right-hander Troy Melton struggled early on.
But he dominated throughout the middle and late innings.
The 25-year-old didn’t throw a first-pitch strike to the first eight batters he faced, and the Rays took advantage of his command issues by scoring one run apiece in a 19-pitch first inning and a 17-pitch second inning.
The result of those runs: The Rays tied the game, 1-1, on Yandy Díaz’s RBI single in the first and tied the game again, 2-2, on Cedric Mullins’ solo home run in the second.
Melton suddenly threw a first-pitch strike for the first time to Victor Mesa Jr., immediately following Mullins’s homer and Nick Fortes’ single.
He faced the minimum 21 batters after Fortes’ single, needing 14 pitches in the third inning, 10 in the fourth, eight in the fifth, six in the sixth and eight in the seventh and 12 in the eighth.
His only blemish during that stretch came on a leadoff walk to Jonathan Aranda in the third inning, losing a nine-pitch battle. He bounced back by erasing Aranda on the bases with a double play, then he struck out Richie Palacios.
Melton owns a 1.74 ERA in three starts since returning May 24 from the injured list after suffering right elbow inflammation in spring training.
At the plate
The story continues to be the offense.
It’s a small sample size, but the Tigers keep hitting in June.
The Tigers grabbed the lead in the first inning for the fourth game in a row, courtesy of Gleyber Torres’ leadoff double and Dingler’s RBI single.
Torres attacked a first-pitch cutter from right-hander Nick Martinez in his second game since returning from the injured list, recovering from a left oblique strain.
Martinez allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk with one strikeout across four innings, throwing 58 pitches. He hadn’t allowed more than two runs in his first 11 starts, entering Wednesday with a 1.62 ERA.
He now has a 2.29 ERA after his 12th start.
After taking a 1-0 lead, the Tigers made it 2-1 in the second on Jake Rogers’ home run and 3-2 in the third on Spencer Torkelson’s sacrifice fly.
The big swing occurred in the fourth inning.
Singles from Matt Vierling and Torres put two runners on for Dingler with two outs, and, with two strikes, he pulled Martinez’s middle-away cutter for a three-run home run.
It put the Tigers ahead, 6-2.
A sacrifice fly from Kerry Carpenter extended the Tigers’ lead to 7-2 in the ninth inning.
Next up: Comerica Park
The six-game road trip is in the books.
The Tigers have an off day Thursday – with another off day approaching on Monday – as they return home to Comerica Park for a three-game series against the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners, beginning Friday (6:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet).
The probable pitchers for the series: left-hander Framber Valdez on Friday, right-hander Keider Montero on Saturday and right-hander Jack Flaherty on Sunday.
For the Mariners, All-Star right-hander Bryan Woo is scheduled to start Friday’s opener.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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More than a decade ago, a juror in a Detroit public corruption trial that ended with three men getting convicted in a $97 million bribery scheme exclaimed: “Hopefully this is the end of this nightmare … this is a whole new beginning.”
It didn’t quite go that way as the following years saw two city councilmen indictments, a dozen school principal bribery convictions, a towing scandal, as well as a toxic dirt and demolition fiasco.
And now there’s this.
In a new criminal filing in U.S. District Court, a former city official in charge of the Detroit People Mover shuttle is charged with taking $300,000 in bribes from a businessmen who reportedly billed the city for work that was never performed — all with the help of his connected associate.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, June 2 in U.S. District Court, the alleged scheme involves 55-year-old Michael Anderson, a former director with the Detroit Transportation Corporation, who allegedly helped Detroit businessman Terrence Parker bill the city for nearly $305,000 in information technology work that was never performed.
Moreover, court records show, Parker’s company has no experience with IT work, but rather performs restoration work on homes damaged by storms and natural disasters. Still, the FBI says, Parker managed to submit 22 phony invoices to the DTC for IT work, including fixing computer monitors — and got paid for all of it. That’s because Anderson was approving his phony invoices from the inside, the government says, and getting money in exchange for his help.
Anderson and Parker both are charged with conspiracy and federal program theft/bribery and face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. They were released on bond following their initial appearances in U.S. District Court. Their court-appointed lawyer could not be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Anderson, who was hired by the city in 2022, was in charge of overseeing People Mover operations until he was fired in April for conduct unrelated to the pending criminal case. Parker owns a business called Total Care Restoration (TCR), which performs restoration work on homes damaged by fire, water, windstorms, or other elements.
According to the government, Parker was billing the DTC for information technology services, even though his company has no experience in that field, nor has it ever submitted a bid proposal to the city for such work, or signed any contract with the DTC.
Still, the government alleges, between 2023-25, the DTC paid nearly $305,000 to TCR for 23 invoices it had submitted, 22 of those invoices charged for IT services.
“Anderson approved the invoices and Parker deposited the checks into TCR’s bank account. TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments before Anderson was hired as Procurement Director. Likewise, TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments after Anderson was fired as Procurement Director,” the complaint states.
According to the government, Anderson did actually procure and manage IT contracts with a number of companies while he worked for the DTC. But TCR was billing the city for work that those companies had been contracted to do.
“At least six TCR invoices listed work that was actually contracted to (another company),” an FBI agent wrote in his affidavit attached to the criminal complaint.
Also noteworthy, the FBI agent writes: “Most of TCR’s invoices contained a charge for debris removal. In my experience, debris removal is a common line item for restoration projects but not for IT work.”
According to the complaint, the FBI figured out that Parker was funneling money to Anderson by reviewing their bank records, and noticing that their deposits and withdrawals coincided. For example, on Aug. 16, 2024, Parker deposited a DTC check for $23,934 and withdrew $18,000 cash. That same day and over the next several days, Anderson made cash deposits into his account for $1,500, $1,300, $1,000, $700 and $1,850.
“There is probable cause to believe that Parker paid Anderson a portion of the money from the TCR invoices,” the FBI agent writes.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
Javier Báez hits home run in 2026 spring training with Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez talks to reporters during spring training February 27, 2026, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Detroit Tigers shut down two of their shortstops on the injured list.
The biggest name?
Javier Báez.
The 33-year-old has been shut down from baseball activities after meeting with a specialist Monday, June 1, about the lack of progress in recovery from a right high ankle sprain, which he suffered April 28. (The Tigers also shut down Trey Sweeney, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder strain since spring training and needs further medical evaluation.)
“We’re still dissecting all the diagnoses and what’s going on with him,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Báez before Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s just not progressing very quickly, and right now, rest is still part of the equation.”
The Tigers tried to start Báez’s return-to-play progression with running, hitting and fielding drills.
He still felt symptoms of the high ankle sprain.
“I’m not a doctor,” Hinch said, “but I understand it watching Javy go through a very slow process of the swelling and the bleeding and all the things that go on inside that type of sprain.”
How long until Báez returns to baseball activities?
The timeline is unknown.
He isn’t expected to need surgery, which means he should return at some point after the All-Star break in 2026.
“From what I was told, we’re on the right path and everything is going well,” Hinch said. “These are just really tricky. The path that we’re on, we’re just going to go slow. Baseball activity is going to slow down because we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of the symptoms.”
Before the injury, Báez played in 24 games for the Tigers, hitting .256 with two home runs, two walks and 16 strikeouts. The injury occurred while running to first base against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, as he tried to avoid a tag with an awkward slide.
The 13-year MLB veteran’s contract with the Tigers runs until November 2027. He is in the penultimate season of a six-year, $140 million contract from December 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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