Boater missing on Lake Michigan in Chicago’s northern suburbs

CHICAGO (CBS) — A search is underway in the north suburbs for a boater who went missing on Lake Michigan near Lake Forest.

Around 2:45 p.m., the Lake Forest Fire Department responded to the Lake Forest Boat Launch for a report of a missing boater, who had been sailing a 15-foot catamaran-style sailboat.

The man’s family told police the boater was supposed to meet them at the boat launch at 2 p.m., but never showed up. The family also confirmed the boater was not wearing a personal flotation device at the time he went missing.

The Lake Forest Fire Department launched a rescue boat and brought in help from neighboring fire departments in Highland Park and Libertyville. Search crews also launched a drone, which found the boat amid 4- to 6-foot waves, but it was empty.

Crews then called in the U.S. Coast Guard for additional help, and a Coast Guard helicopter and boat joined the search.

The boater’s phone later pinged near Glencoe Beach, and boats from the fire departments in Wilmette and Evanston joined the search.

However, around 5:30 p.m., the water search was suspended, while Coast Guard helicopters continued the search by air.

The boat has been recovered, but the boater remained missing as of 7 p.m.