A paddleboarder who went missing in Lake Michigan at Harrington Beach State Park last week was found dead by a fisherman off the coast of Port Washington on Tuesday.
The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office has identified the victim as 49-year-old Teresa Stiff of Muskego. She was discovered dead around 10:08 a.m.
The sheriff's office says the investigation remains open pending autopsy results, however, the cause of death appears to be an accidental drowning.
Stiff went missing on Wednesday, Aug. 2. around 2:30 p.m. She went to Harrington Beach State Park to paddle board. More than 17 hours later, Thursday morning, her blue and white paddle was spotted on shore in Sheboygan County.
On Friday, crews found her life jacket off the shore of Kohler Andrae State Park in Sheboygan County. Family confirmed the jacket belonged to Stiff. That's when the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office said the search transitioned from rescue to recovery.
The non-profit Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has counted 50 Great Lakes drownings so far this year. Twenty of those are in Lake Michigan alone.
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