According to Occupant, he and Operator were riding a jet ski when they hit a large wave (very high winds made for very rough conditions) which caused them to be thrown off. Because of the windy conditions they could not catch up to the jet ski. They started to tire and tried to swim to nearby Rock Island but the waves and wind caused them to become exhausted. Occupant said that they were wearing life jackets but due to the very old age and poor condition of the life jackets, they were torn off of their bodies as they struggled in the water. No life jackets were ever found in the area. Operator went down and Occupant was beginning to go down but another jet skier rescued Occupant and took him to the bank. This jet skier could not be located later. Occupant gave conflicting stories such as the life jackets had been purchased recently at a Wal-Mart and hence were not old. Then he said he was thinking about some other life jackets nor was he sure of the colors of the life jackets. His story about the life jackets and due to many people looking and not being able to find any life jackets leads me to believe that they had not been wearing any.
Somerville                    