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On Tuesday, September 12, 61-year-old fisherman David Split from Fruitport, went missing in Lake Michigan. According to Fox, Split was last seen on Tuesday, when he was leaving Spring Lake, Michigan, on a 30-foot Blue Sea Sundancer boat. Eventually, hours after he was reported missing, authorities discovered the vessel near Grand Haven. However, there was no sign of Split.
As per WWMT, due to the length of time that has passed since David Split went missing, officials have intensified the search. The effort to recover the 61-year-old fisherman now involves both the US Coastguard and Fruitport police. Anyone with information regarding the case has been urged to call authorities.
The timeline of David Split's disappearance
At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, David Split embarked on a fishing trip on Lake Michigan. A resident from Fishport reported that he was regularly seen angling near the mouth of the Grand River. His cellphone last showed signs of activity near Holland, Michigan, before it mysteriously appeared to shut off.
As per WWMT, locals near the Lake Michigan fishing spot worried when David Split was overdue to return. At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, officials were informed that the 61-year-old fisherman had not been seen after embarking on his trip. By 3:30 a.m., the US Coast Guard made an effort to cover the areas near Grand Haven and Lake Macatawa. While the former area was a regular fishing spot, the latter was near the vicinity where Split's phone last 'pinged'.
Eventually, as both air and water vessels canvassed the area for any sign of Split, officials spotted his boat near South Haven. US Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer John Masson discussed the urgency of the search effort.
He said:
"We've expanded the area to cover and about 1800 Square nautical miles, which is a space about the size of Delaware."
He said that if they do not get to the fisherman in time, the fisherman could possibly face additional difficulties.
"It's always essential that we search as rapidly and effectively as we can. Some things that can help us with those efforts are you know, safety gear, you know, personal locator beacons that boaters often have that can provide us some real time information about where they're located. In this case, we're searching based on the last name location and drift patterns and weather factors."
As reported by WZZM 13, the search effort involves crews from North Carolina, Elizabeth City, and Traverse City. On Wednesday morning, a Canadian C-130 also joined the effort to find the 61-year-old. As the search is currently underway, officials have not revealed any additional details concerning Split's whereabouts. Authorities have not yet discussed the possibility of foul play.
