IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — It's been four days since a 30-year-old Grand Rapids man went missing while kayaking with his girlfriend on Sessions Lake in Ionia County.
The search was updated to a recovery effort and then an accidental drowning. Now, the Ionia County Sheriff's Office said the search has been temporarily suspended.
"Efforts to date have been unsuccessful and conditions have been difficult in recovering the victim," said the Ionia County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post.
The sheriff's office said they plan to resume operations when they can expand their search and obtain more resources when they are available.
The man's identity has not yet been shared. He went missing on Sunday just before 7 p.m. when his kayak flipped and he did not resurface.
Water rescue teams from several area fire departments as well as the sheriff's dive team responded to the no-wake lake inside the Ionia State Recreation Area.
Deputies said the missing kayaker was on the water with his girlfriend when they got uncomfortable in their lifejackets, so they took them off.
He was last seen at 6:57 p.m. on Sunday.
The lake was temporarily closed while crews worked to find the man. Now that search efforts have been suspended, the lake will reopen Thursday evening and remain open through the weekend.
