TRAVERSE CITY — Authorities identified a man who likely drowned in East Grand Traverse Bay.
Robert Wayne Smith, 61, jumped off his 20-foot cabin cruiser near Deepwater Point in Acme at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday after his granddaughter fell in the water. Authorities hadn't found his body as of 3 p.m. today.
Smith is from East Lansing and has a summer residence in Williamsburg. He was out fishing with his son-in-law and three granddaughters, all of the Lansing suburb of Williamston.
Police said the granddaughter, who wore a life jacket, fell in as Smith worked with lines in the water. He jumped in after her, and his son-in-law, 34, steered the boat back toward them.
The son-in-law pulled the boat near and jumped in after his daughter. Smith held on to a eyelet on the bow of the boat as the son-in-law worked to get his daughter back on board.
The son-in-law saw Smith lose his hold on the eyelet and go under water, police said. He wasn't seen again.
Dive teams searched with side-scan sonar until about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, but efforts weren't successful. Crews searched about 12 hours Sunday and resumed their search today. Crews are searching an area roughly one-half mile square, and water depths are between 120 and 140 feet.
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