Police probe into death of GH man found in Pentwater Lake
An investigation into the unusual death of a Grand Haven man found submerged in a locked vehicle in an Oceana County lake continued Friday, Oct. 2, according to authorities.
GRAND HAVEN – An investigation into the unusual death of a Grand Haven man found submerged in a locked vehicle in an Oceana County lake continued Friday, Oct. 2, according to authorities.
Police identified the victim as Michael Dean Manglos. His vehicle — a red 2011 Jeep Compass — was spotted just before 9 a.m. near the Municipal Boat Launch by passing kayakers, according to Pentwater Police Chief Laude Hartrum.
On Friday, Hartrum said the investigation was ongoing.
“We are kind of in a holding pattern,” he said. “We are waiting on the autopsy report and I sent the police report to the prosecutor’s office, which is routine.
Foul play is not suspected.
When officers arrived at the launch, a diver was deployed to examine the vehicle underwater. The driver’s side doors were locked.
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Authorities soon matched the license and description to a missing-vehicle report filed with Grand Haven Public Safety. According to Hartrum, surveillance footage from regional Flock license-plate readers showed the Jeep entering Oceana County during the early morning hours of Tuesday, Sept. 15. The vehicle was last captured on camera at approximately 3:33 a.m. His body was recovered around 9 a.m. on Sept. 16.
A joint operation involving the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, county detectives, and a Pentwater Fire Department drone unit pulled the Jeep from the water later Wednesday morning. Manglos’s body was recovered shortly after.
It was not clear whether drugs or alcohol were involved, Hartrum said, but once the autopsy is complete, toxicology results will paint a better picture.
— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
