(SOMERSET TOWNSHIP, MI) - Authorities have released additional details in the investigation into the death of a Hillsdale County man who fell through thin ice on Lake Somerset during a Saturday evening walk.
Police say Charles Fausak IV, 48, was reported missing around 9:45 p.m. Saturday after failing to return home from a walk he began around 6 p.m. with his two dogs.
According to Somerset Township Police Chief John Gessner, Fausak was last seen around 7:45 p.m. walking westbound along U.S. Route 12.
A multi-agency search followed, involving the Somerset Township Police Department, Michigan State Police, and the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Department. Crews used drones and attempted to deploy a State Police helicopter, but poor weather conditions prevented flight operations Saturday night.
Search efforts were suspended around 2 a.m. and resumed at daylight Sunday. As weather conditions improved, a helicopter was dispatched. Before it arrived, Chief Gessner located what appeared to be broken ice approximately 25 yards from the boat launch.
The Somerset Township Fire Department deployed water rescue equipment and recovered the body of one dog. Responders could see Fausak and the second dog nearby but were initially unable to reach them.
The Liberty Township Fire Department was later called in with a Zodiac-style rescue boat, which allowed crews to recover both Fausak and the second dog.
Investigators said there were no visible tracks from the boat launch to the area where the bodies were found, suggesting Fausak may have unknowingly walked onto the frozen lake and encountered dangerously thin ice.
The incident remains under investigation.