GANGES TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The body spotted floating in Lake Michigan on Valentine's Day has been identified as a man last seen in Chicago.
The Allegan County Sheriff's Office says 21-year-old Elijah Looper went missing in the windy city on November 15, 2023. According to Chicago Police, Looper was last seen at a non-profit that works with teens and young adults experiencing housing, mental health, and employment struggles.
Looper's body was spotted February 14, 2024 on a private beach off of Lakeshore Drive between West Side County Park and Pier Cove Park in Ganges Township.
Sally Tyler told FOX 17 she was sitting on the back deck of her home with her dog Cody when something on the beach caught her eye.
READ: Morning coffee interrupted by body on the beach
"I thought it was an animal on the beach, and then I kind of realized it wasn’t," Tyler told FOX 17 just after noon Wednesday.
She decided to walk down to the beach, not getting to close, and try to convince her brain she was truly seeing the body of a man.
"Then I immediately ran up and called the police."
Looper was found completely unclothed, aside from wearing a size 12 pair of brown Converse All Star shoes/boots.
The Allegan County Sheriff's Office says foul play is not suspected in his death. The medical examiner's office continues to work on a complete report.
