Man vanished in water while tubing with girl, Illinois cops say. Body is now found

A man’s body was recovered from a lake days after he went missing during a boating accident, Illinois police said.

The man and a girl were tubing on East Fork Lake on Aug. 14 when the pair plunged into the water, according to a news release from the Olney Police Department.

The girl came back up, but the man never resurfaced, police said.

A call for help was made at about 4 p.m., and state and local authorities responded to the area, police said.

The responders, led by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, searched the lake until 10 p.m. but did not find the man.

Rescue efforts continued over the next two days, and on Aug. 16, a boat equipped with sonar detected the man’s body. A team of divers then entered the water to recover it.

The man was identified as Phil Bennett, 79, by KVOE. Police confirmed his identity to McClatchy News.

Bennett was previously the director of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, according to the outlet.

When contacted by McClatchy News, a spokesperson for the Olney Police Department did not have any further information to provide.

East Fork Lake is a man-made lake spanning 934 acres, according to the City of Olney.

Olney is about 250 miles south of Chicago.

This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Man vanished in water while tubing with girl, Illinois cops say. Body is now found."