Lake Wawasee Drowning Victim Identified

SYRACUSE - The man who drowned Friday afternoon on Lake Wawasee was identified Sunday by officials as Brian Conwell, 55.
At 1:52 p.m. Friday, according to a post on the Turkey Creek Fire Territory (TCFT) Facebook page, the fire territory was dispatched for a report of a missing person in the area of the sandbar on Lake Wawasee. A unified command post was established at the Lake Wawasee Public Access and an operational division worked from East Highland Drive.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, according to a news release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), including dive teams from the Indiana Conservation Officers, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, Warsaw Police Department, Indiana State Police and other local fire departments.
Upon arrival, rescue personnel promptly located the victim in the water, the IDNR release states. Preliminary investigation indicates Conwell entered the water to set mooring augers when he began to struggle.
The TCFT Facebook page states 55 minutes after the initial dispatch, Conwell was found 3 feet below the surface in an area of the lake where the water depth was approximately 20 feet.
Turkey Creek Fire and Syracuse EMS attempted lifesaving measures, however, efforts were unsuccessful. Conwell was pronounced dead at the scene by the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office.
Indiana conservation officers have preliminarily classified the incident as an accidental drowning. An autopsy has been scheduled, the release from the IDNR states.