The July Fourth holiday weekend in the Great Lakes State was marked by a series of tragic drowning incidents that claimed the lives of 10 individuals whose bodies were recovered from lakes and private pools across the state. Among the victims was an Arab American child from Dearborn who drowned in Lake St. Clair in Macomb County.

In two separate incidents, two fathers died while trying to rescue their sons from drowning — both fathers and sons perished.

In Burt Lake, in Cheboygan County, witnesses reported that a 16-year-old boy remained underwater for about seven minutes before his 54-year-old father jumped in to save him. The father died at the scene and the boy was transported to a local hospital where he later died.

At Indiana Dunes National Park, overlooking Lake Michigan, a father and son from the Chicago area — David Meneou (65) and Jameson Meneou (20) — also drowned. Initial reports indicated the son was struggling in deep water, prompting his father to rush in to help. Both were pulled from the lake by bystanders but later died at a local hospital.

In Saginaw County, a 5-year-old child died after drowning in a private pool in the town of Fremont on the evening of July 4. The next evening, a 15-year-old boy drowned in a private pool in Carrollton, also in Saginaw County.

In central Michigan’s Mecosta Lake, divers recovered the body of David Thompson (34), a resident of Taylor, on Saturday, July 5. Witnesses reported seeing him fall from a watercraft the previous evening.

Other drowning incidents occurred on Saturday at an inland lake in Muskegon County and in Oakland County, where the body of Jason Duane Brookshire (49) was recovered from White Lake after he went overboard from a boat and never resurfaced. His body was found later that night.

Elderly individuals were not spared. On the morning of Sunday, July 6, the body of Gerald Burge (86) was found in a pond in Springfield Township, also in Oakland County. Authorities said he had dementia and was reported missing from his home around 4 a.m. that day. He was last seen wearing swimwear, prompting police to search nearby water bodies, where they found him deceased.

The Arab American community also suffered a loss. Majd Baligh Alawdi, a 3-year-old of Yemeni descent, died after drowning while swimming with his family at the Metropark on Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township.

Authorities said an off-duty police officer on the beach saw the child drifting away from his family and struggling in the water. The officer rushed to grab the boy, pulled him ashore and began CPR. The child was then transported to McLaren Macomb Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“This is a tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to the child’s family, friends and community,” Huron-Clinton Metroparks Chief Executive Officer Amy McMillan said. “Out of respect for the family, we will not comment further at this time.”

Park police are still investigating the incident to determine the exact circumstances of the drowning.

Due to rising concerns about the number of drownings recorded in the summer of 2024, the Metroparks system has offered free swimming lessons for children this year and distributed free life vests for recreational use. Still, several drowning incidents have occurred since the season began.