On 8/29/09 I was dispatched by north region enforcement to respond to a possible drowning at the Mississinewa reservoir red bridge ramp area.  I arrived at approximately 5:34pm and was soon joined by units from the county sheriffs dept, red cross, city south fire dept. Ambulance, and numerous other ICO units from surrounding counties.  I spoke with deputies Deputy 1 and Deputy 2 who were the first units on scene and they advised me that the victim had apparently fell overboard while positioning himself near the back of the boat in preparation to go tubing according to the witnesses.  The four remaining occupants of the boat  were seated next to their boat.  I was advised by Deputy 2 that the witnesses had attempted to locate the victim for several minutes before going back to the red bridge ramp to summon help.  Deputy 2 advised me the witnesses stated they had thrown the victim the tube first and Victim 1 was unable to grab it.  Two of the occupants (Occupant 1 and Occupant 2) then swam after Victim 1 however the ensuing struggle caused Victim 1 to begin pushing them under so they had to return to the boat.  They then threw life jackets at him but Victim 1 had drifted too far away to reach them.  Victim 1 then slipped under the surface and was not seen again.  
ICO’s and I took two of the witnesses separately out with us to pinpoint a location of the drowning.  Both subjects (Occupant 2 and Occupant 1) pinpointed an area approximately 250 yards east of the Mississinewa road bridge near the south shore.  
    I advised the three ICO units that had responded to run the side scan sonar boat of the location which we had subsequently marked with buoy.  Lt.  headed up the sonar boat.  ICO divers bollman and neargardner were in my boat with rescue diver ICO reed.  As we were conducting recovery operations, detective randy Detective 1 of the co. Sheriffs dept. Took the four witnesses back to his dept. And interviewed each one separately.  
     Officer Deputy 2 also administered portable breath tests to all the occupants just prior to detective 1 taking them to the jail for interviews and he advised me that the only one that tested positive was  .07%.  I was advised by Lt. that they had a good mark with the sonar and they had marked it with a buoy.  ICOs then made the recovery of the victim at 8:06pm.  The exact GPS coordinates of the body were as follows: 40* 40' 801n by 85*52'991w.  ICO advised the victim was in 34' of water and the temperature at the bottom was 70'.  The victim was then remanded into the care of the coroner and one of her deputies and the victim was transported to the hospital by the city fire dept. Ambulance.  
     All ICO units then had a post incident briefing and the scene was cleared.  I then went to the sheriffs dept. To speak with detective 1.  While enroute I was advised by ICO  that notification had been made to the victims' wife by the marion city pd chaplain  who we had summoned for help in finding her as none of the witnesses knew where to find her.  Detective 1 stated that he did not feel foul play was involved and all the witnesses seemed genuinely upset at the death of Victim 1.  Detective 1 had conducted personal interviews at length with each of the remaining boat occupants and I will supplement this case with detective 1s report as soon as I come into possession of it.  
     Detective 1 and I then went to the hospital to talk with the coroner and view the body once again.  Preliminary blood tests had been conducted and I was advised by the deputy coroner that no drugs were found in Victim 1's system and there was a minimal indication of alcoholic beverage in his system.  Victim 1's wife came to the hospital and identified the body and she stated that he could swim.  A complete autopsy was performed on 8/30/09 at 2:30pm
Wabash                        