On what was meant to be a leisurely fishing trip, a man from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, tragically disappeared into the vast waters of Lake Michigan. Mykhaylo Kozmich, aged 49 at the time, embarked on the outing with two companions on Monday, May 28, 2018. The group departed from the North Pointe Marina in Winthrop Harbor for a day of fishing on the lake. The day took a devastating turn far from the safety of the shoreline, in an area estimated to be between 10 to 17 miles from the coast. What began as a simple, retrievable accident quickly escalated into a life-threatening emergency, altering the lives of all on board and leaving a family with unanswered questions.
The sequence of events leading to Mykhaylo's disappearance was sudden and unforeseen. During the fishing excursion, a fishing rod was accidentally dropped and fell into the water. In a spontaneous decision, Mykhaylo jumped overboard to retrieve the lost equipment. He entered the water without a life vest, a critical safety measure for anyone on the unpredictable open waters of Lake Michigan. His companions, realizing the immediate danger, tossed a life buoy toward him in a desperate attempt to help. Tragically, before he could grasp the flotation device, Mykhaylo slipped beneath the surface of the water and out of sight. At the time he was last seen, he was wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt and grey cargo shorts.
The incident prompted an immediate response as search and rescue efforts were launched to find him. The Lake County Sheriff's Office was the investigating agency for his disappearance, coordinating efforts to locate him in the expansive search area. Despite the efforts of those on the boat and the subsequent official search, he was not found. The case remains a painful memory of a recreational outing that ended in tragedy. A day that began with the promise of enjoyment on the water concluded with the heartbreaking loss of a man who impulsively entered the lake, leaving behind a legacy of a search that ultimately could not bring him home to his loved ones.
Last Seen: May 28, 2018
