Crime & Safety

Mercer Island Marine Patrol Assists with Recovery Near Renton

A 20-year-old man was recovered from Lake Washington this morning after flip flops were found on the beach.

Mercer Island Marine Patrol assisted Renton Fire and Emergency Services with the recovery of a 20-year-old man from Lake Washington near Renton Sunday morning.

The Renton Fire and Emergency Services Dive Team retrieved the body of a 20-year-old man from Lake Washington.

The man's sister and several other family members were at the scene during the search and were able to identify the body, said Renton Battalion Chief John Lecoq. The parents are out of town.

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The man was last seen when he left his Puget Sound-area home around midnight.

A search began after a city parks department employee called the Renton Police Department around 9:30 a.m. to report a pair of flip-flop sandals and a baseball cap on the dock near the boat launch.

Find out what's happening in Mercer Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

An abandoned pickup truck, which belonged to the 20-year-old, was also found in the boat launch parking lot, which is accessible 24 hours a day. Other areas of the park are closed to cars at night.

The Fire Department began its search on land at 10:10 a.m., looking north and south of the boat launch area, Lecoq said.

At 10:42 a.m., the dive team began a search of the water and found the man's submerged body near the Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Boat Launch  10 minutes later.

The dive team, two engines, one air unit, one battalion chief and the Mercer Island Police Boat responded to the search this morning.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office, which will do the autopsy and run a toxicology test, took custody of the body this afternoon. The cause of death may not be released for several days.

Patch will update the story as more information becomes available.

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