Missing swimmer found dead in Lake Michigan on North Side identified

A swimmer who went missing early Thursday in Lake Michigan and was found dead in the water hours later near the North Side Edgewater neighborhood has been identified.

Todd E. Bartelstein’s body was found about 6:35 a.m. in Lake Michigan near Foster Avenue, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Rough lake conditions and the lake being too shallow for boats to get close delayed the recovery for at least an hour. His body was eventually pulled from the water at Montrose Dog Beach.

“It was a difficult recovery,” Langford said. The Coast Guard assisted in the recovery effort.

Bartelstein, a 54-year-old man from the Edgewater neighborhood, went swimming in Lake Michigan with a female about 12:45 a.m. in the 5500 block of North Lake Shore Drive, authorities said.

The female was able to get out of the water, but Bartelstein was struggling, according to Chicago Police. She and a friend tried to help him, but were unsuccessful. They called 911 when they lost sight of the man.

CFD divers went into the water to search for Bartelstein, but couldn’t find him, CFD Cmdr. Curtis Hudson said at the time. Divers stopped searching at 2:14 a.m. due to water conditions.

A beach hazard was issued from early Thursday to Friday afternoon, warning of life-threatening, 5-to-7-foot waves along Lake Michigan beaches in Illinois and northwest Indiana, according to the National Weather Service. Strong rip currents and structural currents, which can sweep swimmers into deep water, were also forecasted.

“People visiting the beaches should stay out of the water,” the beach hazard statement said.