By: Mark Vest | C&G Newspapers | Published August 31, 2023
OAKLAND COUNTY — The body of a 36-year-old swimmer who was reported to have been missing since Thursday, Aug. 24, was recovered by divers in Walled Lake Aug. 25, according to a press release from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Adam Malecki, of Walled Lake, was found in about 30 feet of water approximately 500 feet from shore by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team.
Malecki jumped off a pontoon boat and began swimming with two friends late Wednesday/early Thursday, the release states.
As threatening weather moved into the area, the two friends were able to make it back to their pontoon boat. The friends lost sight of Malecki and notified Walled Lake police, who asked for help from Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team, according to the release.
“The team responded to the lake about 1:15 a.m. Thursday to begin the search,” the release states. “It resumed Thursday morning with the assistance of the Southeast Michigan Dive Group, a coalition of area law enforcement agencies and fire departments including from Genesee, Livingston, Macomb and Wayne counties; Van Buren Township; and the Michigan State Police, which was created to respond to water emergencies. The search was made more difficult because the friends were unable to give divers an approximate location where they were swimming or where Malecki was last seen.”
The divers searched the lake all Thursday, according to the release.
“Severe thunderstorms Thursday night complicated the effort,” the release states. “It resumed Friday morning and continued until approximately 7 p.m. when the body was located. The incident remains under investigation,” police said.
It is expected to be several weeks before an autopsy conducted by the Oakland County Medical Examiner is completed.