Michael J. Lewis, 25, of Granite City, Ill., was found dead Saturday (June 19) in the Big River at Rockford Beach in House Springs after being reported missing two days earlier, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesman Grant Bissell said a fisherman found the body in the Big River around 8:10 a.m. Saturday.
Before that, deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Byrnes Mill Police Department and the High Ridge Fire Protection District searched for Lewis, and firefighters used one of the district's boats to search along the river, said Grant Bissell, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
Bissell also said the Sheriff’s Office used one of its dogs to search, but authorities did not find him.
Lewis was last seen around 8:30 p.m. with at least two other people and possibly as many as four other people at the park, Bissell said.
He said at some point, Lewis and one of his companions walked away from the others, but the companion returned without Lewis. Then, the people Lewis met at the park left after he didn’t return to where they had gathered earlier.
Bissell said there were no signs of foul play, and the highway patrol reported Lewis’ death as a drowning.
However, Lewis’ brother, James Lewis, 22, of Granite City, said he believes his brother was killed.
James Lewis said his brother went to Rockford Beach with people he believed were friends.
“If there was an accident, they would have called someone,” he said. “All I know is that my brother didn’t want this to happen.”
Bissell said deputies have tried to talk with people who were with Lewis at the park, and they either have not been reached or are unwilling to give information.
James Lewis said his brother loved sports, his work as a mover, and his family, including his 3-year-old daughter.
“He was a hard-working man,” James Lewis said.
He also said his brother was a fast runner.
“He was probably the fastest man I’ve ever met.”