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Two Men Went Missing In Lake St. Clair: Father And Son Never Returned Home, Two Bodies Pulled From Lake

By Erin Fitzgerald
Published on: 14:38 PST, Oct 23, 2016

Two men were reported missing after they never returned home from a duck hunt in Lake St. Clair. The father and son were to return on Saturday from their hunting trip, but never did. On Sunday, two bodies were pulled from Lake St. Clair, believed to be the missing men, Patch reports.

The father and son were out in their boat on Saturday during a duck hunt, and when they didn’t return home, family members alerted officers that they were missing. Multiple agencies were searching for the two men when a boat was noticed in Lake St. Clair, approximately four miles from Seaway Island. The two men’s bodies were located near the boat.

The circumstances have not been revealed at this point, and the investigation is ongoing. It is presumed that the bodies belonged to the two duck hunters, Timothy Hughes, 59, and his son, Daniel Hughes, 24.

Sunday morning, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham revealed that they received the call about the missing men around 2 a.m. on Sunday. The report revealed that the two men left early Saturday morning for a duck hunt, and they should have returned many hours ago.

Police found the pickup truck and the boat trailer that belonged to the two men near Lake St. Clair, which prompted a search of the area.

The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, Canadian Coast Guard., and the U.S. Coast Guard all worked together to locate the missing men. Unfortunately, the father and son were found too late and they were both pronounced dead at the scene.

The police mentioned that the wife and mother of the victims was very concerned when the men did not return home in time for the football game, MLive reports.

The circumstances leading up the their deaths have not been determined, but the investigation is ongoing.

Earlier in the month, an 18-year-old man in Bismarck, North Dakota, drowned while duck hunting, KFYR-TV reports.

Benjamin Berg was hunting ducks in Arena Lake when he was unable to get out of the water and struggled until he drowned. The Burleigh County Combined Water Rescue Team went to the area and searched for several hours until they found his body just after 4 p.m. on October 4.

Fox 13 revealed that earlier in the year, a country singer died while duck hunting during a winter storm.

Craig Strickland, a county music singer, was reported missing after a duck hunting trip in Oklahoma. Strickland was with a friend, Chase Morland, whose body was found a few weeks later.

Strickland’s body was also eventually found and his wife revealed the information on Twitter.

Prior to when the country singer and his friend went missing, Morland sent a tweet confirming that he and Craig were entering a snow storm to kill ducks in Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, the two never returned and they lost their lives trying to kill ducks that day.

DU reveals how you can stay safe in the waters while duck hunting.

[Image by 90783759/AP Images]

Disaster can quickly strike when out on the waters. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that on average, 35 major boating accidents occur each year, causing approximately 14 deaths and nearly 40 injuries. Approximately 80 percent of victims die from drowning, and 85 percent of the time, the victims do not have life jackets on.

In order to stay safe, it is advised for everyone who is out in the waters to wear a personal flotation device (PFD).

Will Hillyer, Chief warrant officer 2 in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division in Washington, D.C., could not stress enough how important that is to ensure safety in the water.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of wearing a life jacket. This is the easiest and most effective safety precaution hunters can take. Put that life jacket on before you get in the boat and don’t take it off until you climb out.”

Secondly, never overload the boat, as each boat has limits for weight. Stay well below the limits when hunting in waters that may potentially be rough.

Also, it is advised not to venture into sea in a boat that is not seaworthy.

Thirdly, always keep an emergency kit in the boat inside a waterproof bag. Include flares, a cell phone, a flashlight, a GPS, a fire-starting kit, and other survival items that could be helpful in an emergency situation.

Some additional safety tips are as follows:

  • Give a family member or friend a float plan so rescuers know where to begin searching should you become stranded or have an accident.
  • Do not take firearms on the boat, as accidental discharge can be disastrous.
  • Do not drink alcohol while operating a boat.
  • Always be sure your lights are working properly on your boat.
  • Distribute the weight inside the boat towards the center line so the bow of the boat is slightly raised.
  • Use Neoprene waders to help you float, and they also help retain body heat to fight hypothermia.
  • Search online for local boat safety courses and take advantage of them.

[Featured Image by Duane Burleson/AP Images]

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