Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Family Identifies Brothers in Island Lake Ice Deaths in Northern Michigan

Officials issue new warnings about unpredictable early-season ice following the rescue and recovery.

Overview

  • Relatives named the victims as Johnathon Brake, 22, and his 13-year-old brother, James "Jimmy" Brake, after they fell through ice on Island Lake in Kalkaska County.
  • Deputies were dispatched just before 11 p.m.; the 22-year-old was pulled from the water around 11:40 p.m. and later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
  • The Northern Michigan Mutual Aid Dive Team recovered the 13-year-old the next morning at about 9:50 a.m. in seven to eight feet of water.
  • A 14-year-old who was with them crawled onto the ice, was rescued by deputies, taken to Kalkaska Memorial Health Center and released after treatment.
  • Multiple agencies, including Kalkaska EMS, local fire and rescue teams, and the Michigan State Police with an aviation unit, responded as local departments urged residents to stay off unstable ice.