Dearborn Heights resident Ghaleb Assaf, 59, died after he jumped off a boat to swim in Lake Erie near Sterling State Park.
By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — The body of Ghaleb Assaf, 59, of Dearborn Heights was located and recovered by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division and Dive Team from Lake Erie.
Assaf went missing Aug. 29 after jumping into Lake Erie off a boat but did not resurface. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Assaf’s body was found by search and rescue crews about 12:30 p.m. Aug. 31 in the area of Sterling State Park.
About 6:45 p.m. Aug 29, the Monroe County Central Dispatch received a 911 call from the others on the boat which was three-quarters of a mile off the park’s shore.
Dispatch was told that Assaf jumped into the water to swim and did not return. The Frenchtown Township Fire Department was the first to respond to the scene and requested assistance from U.S. Coast Guard, Sheriff’s Office Marine Division and Dive Team.
Search efforts ended early due to the severe weather in the area and dangerous lake conditions Sunday night and resumed the morning of Aug. 30.
As of Sept. 2, the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office did not have a cause of death and said the autopsy report could take 8 to 10 weeks before it was ready.
Funeral services for Assaf were held at American Muslim Society, 9945 Vernor Highway in Dearborn, with the burial at Islamic Memorial Gardens in Westland, both on Sept. 2.
He leaves his wife and children.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)