Body of missing orthodontist found on Dunes beach

Authorities confirmed that a body found Saturday morning on Kemil Beach near Beverly Shore, Ind., is that of missing Des Plaines orthodontist Steven Banks.

Banks went sailing on Lake Michigan with his 12-foot boat Wednesday and never returned to his home in the Miller Beach neighborhood of Gary. His wife Kathy reported him missing when he failed to show up Thursday at his Des Plaines office.

Hikers found the body along the lakeshore at 7:20 a.m. Saturday, and flagged down state park ranger Bill Tadych, park spokeswoman Lynda Lancaster said. Banks had a life jacket on when his body was discovered at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, she said.

U.S. Coast Guard boats and helicopters, Lake County Marine Units and Indiana Conservation Officers searched for Banks for more than 30 hours after he was reported missing. A a Coast Guard helicopter spotted his abandoned sailboat Thursday afternoon about five miles from the Indiana shore.

An autopsy will be conducted.

Banks, 58, has practiced dentistry in Des Plaines for more than 18 years and has been involved in the Des Plaines community with groups such as the Boy Scouts and YMCA. He is a scuba instructor and underwater photographer, according to his dental office's Web site. He received a degree in music composition from Roosevelt University before deciding on a career in dentistry, with a specialization in orthodontics.