Last week, the Northshore Journal reported that Hovland resident Denny Pechacek went missing on Friday, August 18, while flying his ultra-light aircraft. He was last seen in the air around Hammer Road, which is just northwest of Chicago Bay off of Highway 61 in Hovland.
Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen announced on Thursday, August 24th that Pechacek’s body was found and recovered from Lake Superior offshore near Hov-land. Daily search efforts had taken place after he was reported missing.
“This is not the outcome that we want-ed, and our thoughts and prayers go to Denny’s family and friends. We are so very fortunate that we live in a community where people will drop what they’re doing and rally to assist those in need,” said Eliasen.
The Sheriff’s Office received information in the early morning hours of August 24 that a helmet had washed up on a beach near Hovland that was confirmed to belong to Pechacek. Search efforts were then concentrated in the water and along the beach.
Crossmon Consulting LLC of Herman-town, MN was brought in to perform the in-water search. Crossman specializes in drowning victim recovery, according to its website. Using a so-called side-scan sonar unit, Crossmon was able to locate the body after a few hours of searching. Officials then recovered Pechacek’s body. In addition to Crossmon, the Sheriff named the following organizations that assisted in air, land, and water searches
