Eduardo Rivera Jr., 45, and Salvador Lopez, 32, both of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, were last seen on July 5 when both jumped off a boat in Lake Michigan near Whiting, Indiana.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials confirmed their bodies were found in the lake Friday afternoon, about 1.5 miles from where they were last seen.
State officials and the victims' family have said 12 people were on board the boat as it was sailing in the lake near Whiting around 2:30 p.m. on July 5, when Lopez jumped off the boat to go swimming.
Lopez began struggling in the water, because of the winds and waves on the water at the time, and Rivera jumped in to try to help. Neither man was wearing a life jacket.
Rivera also struggled in the water, and a third person on the boat then put on a life jacket and jumped in the lake to try to help, but all three got separated from the boat due to the rough conditions in the water.
The third person who jumped in the water was rescued, but Rivera and Lopez weren't found until a week later, despite multiple searches using sonar, boats, and helicopters.
"I had a feeling something was going to happen, because as a mom, I could not sleep," she said. "I said, 'Something is wrong.' I said, 'Please, you're scaring me. Call me.'"
But Rivera never did.
"This is like a nightmare," Zayas said. "You want to wake up and say, 'No, it's OK.'"
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