Coroner IDs Man Killed In Drowning At Illinois State Beach

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Coroner's Office has identified a 26-year-old New York man who went missing in Lake Michigan at Illinois State Beach over the weekend as Akshith Reddy Bhandra.

Results from an autopsy show the cause of Bhandra's death is consistent with drowning, according to a news release from the Lake County Coroner's Office.

Authorities say Bhandra was with two friends, a 26-year-old man and 28-year-old man, who were all trying to swim to a rock wall at the beach. Bhandra was not able to make it to the rock wall, went under the water and never made it back to shore, according to the news release.

Rescue crews were called to the beach, at 1 Lake Front Drive in unincorporated Zion, at about 8:10 p.m. on Saturday. He was found by divers at about 10 p.m.

He was taken to the emergency room at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

The incident remains under investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Police.