Ionia County deputies: Missing kayaker’s body found, ID’d

BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Deputies say the body of a kayaker who went missing on a lake near Ionia has been found.

The body was found Monday about 40 feet down in Sessions Lake, which is located at the Ionia State Recreation Area, and recovered, according to the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say members of the Michigan State Police Dive Team used an underwater drone to help find it.

The sheriff’s office identified the kayaker as 32-year-old Mauro Escobar-Loarca, from the Grand Rapids area.

“The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office extends condolences to the family during this difficult time,” deputies wrote in a Facebook post .

On the evening of July 14, crews responded to Sessions Lake after a witness reported that a boat tipped but the kayaker never came back up.

Deputies said the missing man had been on the water with his girlfriend. The two had removed their life jackets because they were uncomfortable, according to the sheriff’s office.

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