Body of missing duck hunter recovered at Mosquito

By DANNY RESTIVO

drestivo@hotmail.com

Bazetta

The body of a missing duck hunter was recovered in Mosquito Lake early this evening.

A man matching the description of Daniel Khalil, 35, was pulled from the water around 5 p.m., according to WFMJ TV 21, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner. He was one of three hunters aboard a boat that sank in the lake, said Dennis Lewis, Bazetta fire chief. Lewis said the other two men were transported to St. Joseph’s Health Center in Warren where they were treated and released.

The chief said a call came in around 6:30 a.m. about a possible drowning. According to reports, nearby duck hunters heard cries for help coming from the lake. The hunters found two men treading water on the eastern side of the lake, near west Main Street in Cortland, Lewis said. The hunters used a boat to rescue the two men, before they said another victim was still in the water, Lewis said. He also said none of the men was wearing life preservers.

Lewis said 15 agencies assisted in the rescue effort, including members of the Trumbull County dive team. The search for the missing hunter was suspended around 4 p.m. due to dropping water temperatures and fading daylight. But about an hour after recovery efforts were stopped, a hunter found a body floating 10 feet from shore which matched the description of Kahlil,the chief said. The victim was found on the western side of the lake, nearly a mile from where the incident occurred.

Lewis said the lake is a popular destination for duck hunting, and many sportsmen use boats to hunt from. Lewis is unsure how the boat sank, but said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident.

The drowning is the second death in six months at the lake. On July 7, a 21-year-old Amish man jumped into the water from a boat and never surfaced, according to police. His body was recovered several hours later.