Naperville man found dead near Lake Mead
A 54-year-old Naperville man traveling alone through an Arizona national park was found dead there Thursday, officials said Friday.
Authorities with the Lake Mead National Recreation Area said they discovered the body of Kenneth Ritter at 1:49 p.m. along the shoreline, about 2½ miles northeast of the Hoover Dam.
About an hour earlier, the recreation area’s communication center received “multiple” reports of a male body that washed up on shore.
The victim was found near an inflatable kayak that was still inflated. A personal flotation device was found on board, but Ritter wasn’t wearing it, authorities said.
A cause of death wasn’t immediately apparent, but the initial investigation found there may have been a medical issue, said Christie Vanover, a spokeswoman with the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The Mohave County coroner’s office was scheduled to perform an autopsy.
Ritter’s family has been notified, Vanover said.