Body of missing Itasca man found along Lake Michigan

GARY, Ind. - A northern Indiana coroner says a body found along Lake Michigan is that of an Itasca man who vanished while boating on the lake.

Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes said Monday the body is that of 45-year-old Pawel Knych. Preliminary findings indicate that he died from blood loss after suffering multiple significant injuries consistent with being struck by a watercraft.

Knych was last seen on Aug. 11 while boating along a beach in Gary. Indiana conservation officers were called to the scene after a 911 caller reported an unmanned boat circling in the water there.

After Knych's cellphone and life jacket were found with the boat, searchers looked for him using watercraft and helicopters.

His body washed up Friday at West Beach in nearby Portage, Indiana.