Police: Body recovered near Belmont Harbor, may be missing man

The police Marine Unit recovered a body Monday morning near Belmont Harbor.

Family and friends of a missing 28-year-old man fear he may have drowned after his jacket Sunday was pulled from the harbor. Police could not yet comment on whether it is the man believed to be missing.

Philip Patnaude was last seen at 2:30 a.m. Saturday by pals he shared a cab with to the intersection of Wellington and Broadway after a night of drinking. Patnaude – an engineer who lives in the 3200 block of North Ashland and who is engaged to be married in October – told a friend he was going to the lakefront, police say.

Dozens of friends and relatives searched for the blonde, 6-foot 1, 175 pound Patnaude Sunday in the neighborhoods surrounding the home he shared with his fiance in the 3200 block of North Ashland. They endured an agonizing wait after his black ski jacket was found in the harbor.

Police Marine Unit divers who searched in vain for further clues Sunday were planning to continue their hunt Monday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard was assisting in the search and continued their efforts throughout the night, police said. A helicopter with help from Traverse City, Mich. was to arrive Sunday night, but snowy weather kept it at bay. Divers continued their search as soon as the sun came up Monday morning, police said.

“We’re keeping our fingers’ crossed,” Patnaude’s best friend Kevin Callaghan said after flying in from San Francisco to help in the search. Patnaude attended the University of Illinois, works as a mechanical engineer for Sargent & Lundy and has been with his fiancee for five years, Callaghan said.

He has a pilot’s license and loves outdoor sports including snowboarding, his aunt Barbara Moore said, adding that her nephew was in good spirits when he was last seen. “He comes down here just to look into the lake,” she said. “He’s a happy, very positive guy.”