Trotwood water recovery efforts resume Sunday morning

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Crews are out near Madison Lakes searching for a man that went missing Saturday.

Montgomery County Regional Dispatch confirms crews were sent out to the 300 block of Olive Road for a water rescue. Crews were first dispatched around 12:25 p.m. on reports of a missing man.

Ralph Bowman with Trotwood Fire and Rescue says the man was swimming with his friends when he disappeared.

“They said their friend was swimming behind them,” said Bowman. “When they got to shore, they turned around and he was gone.”

Multiple fire departments and EMS crews responded to the scene, as well as the Dive Team from Wright-Patt FD.

“They started boat teams, all the resources right away,” said Bowman.

Crews say they faced some difficulty working underwater due to dense vegetation, but are confident they have narrowed the search to an area where the swimmer was last seen.

Efforts were suspended late Saturday night as the sun set, with plans to resume at first light on Sunday morning. Trotwood crews say the water rescue has officially turned into a body recovery.

Bowman says they are often called to the lake multiple times a year, due to the lake’s strong currents and entangling vegetation.

In June of last year, another swimmer, a 19-year-old from Florence, Kentucky also drowned in Madison Lakes. It took rescue crews two days to recover him.

“There is no swimming at Madison Lakes,” said Bowman. “There’s fishing at Madison Lakes but no swimming. And every year, this is why there is no swimming.”

The missing swimmer has only been identified as a male and that he and his friends traveled from Columbus.

Crews resumed the search on Sunday at first light.

Stay with 2 NEWS as this develops.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.