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Drowning victim from Antioch identified

An autopsy is scheduled for this afternoon for a man who drowned in Lake Marie late Tuesday night.

The body of David Azooz, 47, of Antioch, was found washed ashore about 11 p.m. Tuesday following a five-hour rescue and recovery search in the lake, said Lake County Assistant Coroner Orlando Portillo. Lake Marie is part of the Chain O’ Lakes system.

The preliminary cause of death appears to be drowning, Portillo said, but real answers won’t be uncovered until the autopsy takes place about 1:30 p.m. today.

Antioch fire and rescue responded to a call of a man under the water about 6:20 p.m. just north of the Sandbar Bar and Grille in unincorporated Lake County near Antioch, Antioch Deputy Fire Chief Chris Lienhardt said.

Divers searched the area for about an hour before switching to recovery mode about 7:30 p.m., Leinhardt said.

Divers from 15 area departments assisted in the effort.

“It was some sort of mechanical problem with the boat, and the individual was trying to rectify the problem when he fell in,” Lienhardt said.

Residents of the tight-knit boating community came to offer help and support Tuesday night, and many of them knew the missing man.

Azooz’s wife and daughter remained on the scene of the rescue throughout the night.

“He was very athletic, and I’m shocked that this happened to him. He was a very good swimmer, a skier, and a very good athlete and a really nice guy,” said Cindy Court, friend of the victim.

Ÿ ABC 7 and staff writer Sara Hooker contributed to this report.

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