Illinois father, 65, and his autistic son, 20, drowned in Lake Michigan during deadly game of catch
David Meneou, 65, and Jamie Meneou, 20, were out sailing Saturday afternoon when they dropped anchor on a sandbar near Indiana Dunes National Park and started tossing around a ball that later landed in the waterway, CBS News Chicago reported.
Jamie went after the ball but began to struggle in the deep water, prompting his selfless father to dive in after him – only to find himself in danger too, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said.
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4 David Meneou, 65, and Jamie Meneou, 20, died Saturday after drowning in Lake Michigan.
via CBS News Chicago
A good Samaritan pulled the avid sailors from the water – but it was too late.
'Jamie was his life,' David's brother, Daniel Meneou, told the local outlet, speculating that there may have been a sudden drop-off in the lakebed that ultimately led to the fatal accident.
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'Of course, my brother was going to try to save his son. There were so many boaters out there that were assisting. I mean, it made us feel good at the moment.'
4 The pair had anchored their sailboat on a sandbar near Indiana Dunes National Park when the tragic scene unfolded.
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The duo was rushed to a nearby hospital around 4:20 p.m. as first responders performed CPR for more than 30 minutes, but both father and son were pronounced dead upon arrival.
David Benjamin, with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, said offshore winds likely caused the ball to drift farther and faster into dangerous depths, adding that drownings in the area are all too common.
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'I've seen this happen before, where someone overthrows a football to their buddy, and it goes over their head, or they miss the ball – now it's blowing in the wind away from shore, and they chase after it,' he told the outlet.
'Knowing how to swim is not water safety. If we look at Lake Michigan right now, we are at 17 drownings as of July 8. We could have another 30 drownings in Lake Michigan this year.'
4 Jamie Meneou pictured with his mother Candace.
Candace Keller Meneou
Data from the rescue project showed 51 drownings in the single Great Lake alone last year.
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The devastated Meneou family, however, is taking some solace in knowing their loved ones were together in their final moments doing exactly what they enjoyed – tossing a ball around.
'Playing catch with his dad was his favorite thing to do,' Jamie's heartbroken mother, Candace Keller Meneou, said of the former couple's only son, WMAQ reported.
4 Jamie Meneou loved playing catch with his father, according to his heartbroken mother.
Candace Keller Meneou
'David really loved his son.'
Daniel described his fearless sibling as driven and determined, and remembered his nephew as a smart and thoughtful young man who enjoyed swimming in his backyard pool.
'They were both great people, my brother is a great dad,' Daniel told CBS.
'And I believe he was a hero for this.'
The gutting ordeal remains under investigation.
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