Sheriff confirms body found in Platte Bay believed to be Tyler Spink

BENZIE COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- Search crews with Bruce's Legacy believe they've found the body of a kayaker who went missing in 2016.

Just before 6 p.m. Thursday Benzie County Sheriff's Deputies and the National Parks Service were called to the Platte Bay to help recover a body believed to be Tyler Spink from Lake Michigan.

Volunteers with Bruce's Legacy had been searching the Platte Bay for three days, spending about 14 hours a day on the water.

The Grand Traverse Mutual Dive Team helped bring the body to the surface and turned it over to the Benzie County Medical Examiner.

The medical examiner is working to make a positive identification but search crews believe the body is Tyler Spink.

Tyler went missing in September 2016 while kayaking with a friend.

Tyler's mother, Kelly Dalton, also believes it's her son and said she's thankful for the people who continued the search effort.

"The one thing that I've learned is that nobody should have to lose a child, but the thought of my son still out in that lake is extremely difficult and I will never rest until he's out of that lake," said Dalton.

Tyler was found by Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit organization that helps bring closure to families by finding bodies of drowning victims.

The founder of Bruce's Legacy, Keith Cormican, has made multiple trips to northern Michigan in the last two years to help search for Tyler.

Cormican said the families are what keep him and others coming back to search.

"You get attached to these cases like this and with the mother being very adamant about finding her son and bringing him is what keeps driving us," said Cormican.

Benzie County Sheriff Ted Schendel said, "While this is a tragedy the family can now have closure and provide a proper service for their son."