Officials identify man who drowned at Spanaway Lake while trying to fix boat
A 69-year-old man who drowned at Spanaway Lake Park last month was identified Wednesday by the Pierce County medical examiner.
Michael Faker of Milton died July 29 of asphyxia due to drowning, according to a news release from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death was ruled an accident.
Witnesses told authorities they saw a man on a boat get in the water to fix a propeller. When he didn’t come back up after a few minutes, witnesses called 911. The Pierce County Metro Dive team responded about 5:03 p.m., according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Two divers searched for the man, but they were initially unable to find him because of a “difficult last seen point and minimal visibility,” according to a statement from the department. Later in the evening, the dive team’s rescue effort became a recovery mission.
The man’s body was recovered from the lake the next day about 9:45 a.m. when divers found him using sonar equipment.
