RedactedNarrative: On 05/31/18 I [CPO] was contacted by SGT. and informed of a possible fatal boat accident. The accident was reported to have happened at Briarpatch Lake. Briarpatch Lake is located in Wayne County near road 2250E and road 250N. CPO was also contacted and requested to respond as well, because he is a Sonar operator. CPO and I met, gathered necessary equipment, and started en route to the incident. We arrived on scene of the incident at 8:28 P.M.. A Wayne County Sheriff''s deputy informed me the incident had been called into the Wayne County 911 Dispatch at 3:48 P.M.. Wayne County search and rescue had been on scene for several hours. The search and rescue team had been running side scanning sonar for approximately two hours in an attempt to locate the missing boater. CPO and I launched a boat at this time, and began running side scanning sonar. After approximately 30 minutes of running sonar CPO located a possible target in the water, and I placed a marker buoy in the water at that location. GPS coordinates of the target were 38* 1744.13N and 88* 1720.76W. A diver from the search and rescue team began diving toward the marker buoy in the water. 
   
  At this time I began interviewing the earlier passenger of the watercraft. OCCUPANT1 identified the missing boater. OCCUPANT1 stated VICTIM had taken RIDES Public Mass Transit and arrived at Briarpatch Lake around 10:00 A.M.. OCCUPANT1 informed me he has a campsite at the lake,and VICTIM was meeting him there to fish. OCCUPANT1 stated they launched his Pelican Brand two man bass boat sometime between 11:00A.M. and Noon. VICTIM was operating the boat while the two men fished. The men fished for approximately three and one half hours. OCCUPANT1 stated once the two had finished fishing he instructed VICTIM to take him to the shore adjacent to his camp site so he could get a snack before they pulled the watercraft out of the water. OCCUPANT1 went to an exterior refrigerator at his camper to get a soda and banana. Once he completed his snack, approximately three minutes later, OCCUPANT1 walked to the boat launch, where the two men had agreed to meet. The boat launch is approximately 100 yards from  camper. When arriving at the boat launch OCCUPANT1 observed the boat adrift against the dam of the lake, approximately 60 yards to the north of him. He stated the front seat of the boat was missing, and he located it floating at the shoreline approximately 20 yards to the east of his location. OCCUPANT1 attempted to locate VICTIM for approximately five minutes, and then called Wayne County 911 when he was unable to locate VICTIM. OCCUPANT1 stated VICTIM had consumed five to six beers throughout the afternoon. 
   
  The search and rescue diver was able to locate VICTIM near the marker buoy that had been paced in the water. VICTIM was pulled out of the water at 9:29 P.M., and loaded onto a Wayne County Ambulance. 
   
  The watercraft is registered to OCCUPANT1, Illinois  watercraft registration number IL6990KG. The watercraft registration is valid through 2019.Upon inspection of the watercraft it was observed the registration stickers were not affixed to the watercraft. The trolling motor battery on the watercraft was not strapped down. No personal flotation devices were on the watercraft at the time of the accident.