The bodies of two brothers who vanished after being washed away by a riptide on Lake Erie and a 64-year-old man who fell into the water in another incident have been found by Ohio authorities.
Austin Labbe, 22, and his brother Trent Sanchez, 19, were found dead within hours of one another, according to ABC affiliate WEWS. The Cleveland Metroparks Police announced the findings and concluded the search on Wednesday, Aug. 20. The station said that the older man, Jeffrey Williams, had been retrieved one day earlier on Tuesday, August 19.
Williams’ identity was verified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office, according to NBC station WKYC.
Tanya Labbe, the mother of Labbe and Sanchez, told CBS station WOIO that the brothers vanished on Sunday, August 17, after they entered the sea at Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio, and were carried away by a riptide.
They were waist deep, not too far out, and they got drifted far, swiftly, according to their sister, Angel Labbe, who launched a GoFundMe page and told Fox affiliate WJW about the incident.
“Our hearts are with the families impacted by this incident,” said Cleveland Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman in his condolence statement. “I want to thank our officers, marine patrol, and partner agencies for their unwavering commitment during this 24-hour search under difficult circumstances,” WEWS said.
Stillman stated in a press conference during the search that the lake conditions were dangerous for swimming at the time. In a video that WOIO shared, he stated that anyone who enters under those circumstances is clearly endangering themselves.
Williams jumped from a pier a few hours after Labbe and Sanchez were washed away over the weekend, according to WEWS and WKYC.
During the hunt, Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman stated, “We still don’t know exactly what transpired or what caused him to enter the water,” according to WKYC. The male was visible both at the surface and beneath the water when the Cleveland fire boat arrived on the site, but the lake conditions prevented them from getting close enough to perform a rescue.
