OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — 61-year-old David Split went missing on Tuesday Sept. 12 while boating on Lake Michigan. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began searching for him that evening after he was overdue to return while out on the water.
Ottawa County Sheriff's deputies assisted the Coast Guard in searching for Split and the 2006, 29 foot navy blue Searay he was driving. Searches included waterways in the Spring Lake and Grand Haven area. Initial searches were unsuccessful.
The next day, Wednesday, Split's boat was found by the US Coast Guard. However, Split was not aboard. The boat was 32 nautical miles southwest of Grand Haven near the Michigan/Wisconsin border. The Coast Guard towed the boat back to Grand Haven.
Thursday morning deputies from the Sheriff's Office Dive Team, as well as Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers, began searching underwater. They used side scan sonar South of the Grand Haven pier heads. This underwater search was conducted due to information obtained through the boat's navigation equipment and other electronic media.
Late Friday afternoon, the US Coast Guard called off the search for Split, after searching more than 6,500 square miles.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said that Split's body was found by Sheriff's Deputies and MSP in 35 feet of water Friday evening. The exact location has not been made public, the incident remains under investigation.
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