Body of Granite City man found in Missouri river Saturday, police say

The body of a 25-year-old Granite City man was found Saturday after he drowned in a tributary of the Meramec River, police said.

Michael J. Lewis went missing on Thursday and was found before 9 a.m. Saturday in the Big River near Rockford Beach Park, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol. The beach is roughly 30 minutes southwest of downtown St. Louis. Lewis was not using a safety device, police said.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that there had been 11 water-related deaths in Missouri so far in June as of Thursday. A woman drowned in the Big River at Washington State Park on Tuesday, the newspaper reported. A Collinsville teenager drowned in the Meramec River on June 5.

Authorities promoted water safety as summer weather heats up. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommended the following precautions when swimming or boating:

• Expect the unexpected: Accidents can happen within seconds, so always be prepared for the unexpected. If you are ejected from a boat, fall or jump into water that is colder than 70 degrees, you can inhale water from involuntary gasping, hyperventilation, panic and sometimes vertigo that can cause you to drown. You can also be knocked unconscious if you are ejected from your boat or fall into the water along the shoreline while fishing.
• Wear a life jacket: By providing time to be rescued, it will help ensure you survive an unexpected fall into the water. It can also save your life if you become exhausted due to fatigue, waves or current while swimming. An adult can drown in 60 seconds and it takes a strong swimmer 10 minutes to put on a life jacket after entering the water.
• Know your swimming abilities: Be aware that swimming in natural waters such as a lake, river or pond is different from swimming in a pool, and your swimming ability decreases with age. It is never too late to take swimming lessons and learn to swim well. Several people every year drown while swimming to retrieve boats and toys. Let those go because they are not worth losing your life over.
• Alcohol and water are a deadly combination: Alcohol induces an inner ear condition (caloric labyrinthitis) that can cause you to become disoriented when underwater and not realize which way is up. If you jump or fall in the water, you can become disoriented and swim down instead of up to safety, causing you to drown. This can more likely happen if you have been consuming alcohol.
• Understand “boater’s hypnosis”: It is a condition brought on by the effects of sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion experienced during a day of boating. Boater’s hypnosis can slow your reaction time almost as much as if you were legally intoxicated. Adding alcohol to this condition intensifies the effects.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the High Ridge Fire Department assisted in investigating Lewis’ drowning.

This story was originally published June 20, 2021 at 5:28 AM.