OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich — Rescue crews have suspended their search for the body of a missing 16-year-old girl due to the lake's rough conditions. She was swept off the north pier at Holland State Park and into Lake Michigan Wednesday night.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office identified her as Eliza Trainer, from Flint. She is presumed to be dead.
Trainer and an 18-year-old boy were on the pier Wednesday night around 11:30 when a large wave swept them both into the water. The boy was able to get out on his own and call 911, according to Sergeant Jay Douglas.
"Lake Michigan isn't a joke," he said during a press conference Thursday. "It's dangerous. These kinds of conditions are not conducive to be out on the pier."
Crews started to search Wednesday evening and into the overnight hours. However, waves in the area were about five to ten feet high and moving north, making the search process difficult and stopping dive teams from going into the water.
The search was suspended Thursday morning except for some firefighters combing the shoreline in an off-road vehicle for a few more hours to see if they could spot Trainer's body.
Lilly Goodrich, Trainer's best friend, drove from the Flint area to Lake Michigan with flowers to remember Trainer.
"She was a very kind, spirited girl," said Scott Pethers, a friend. "She's a good kid. She will be missed."
The Coast Guard and multiple other law enforcement agencies were looking for Trainer by helicopter and drones Thursday morning around 8 a.m.
Douglas says both teens are from the east side of the state. They were friends trying to see Lake Michigan for the first time.
The boy has been released from Holland Hospital and is in the care of his family.
Watch the full interview with Douglas here:
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