Detroit man, 21, drowns at Kensington Lake; 10th drowning in Oakland County this year

MILFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - For the 10th time this year, and the fourth time since July 6, a person has drowned in an Oakland County lake.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard called today's drowning a tragic accident that has become too frequent.

At about 6 p.m. Saturday, a 21-year-old Detroit man, Willy Freddy Chavez Perez, was swimming in Kensington Lake when he went underwater and never re-emerged. He was swimming at Martindale Beach inside Kensington Metropark when it happened. 

"A source of great fun and joy can become a location of tragedy as we have seen far too often in our lakes this summer," Bouchard said. "I encourage people to have emergency, capabilities nearby including flotation devices and watch each other while in the water. If you are not a strong swimmer, it’s a good idea to wear a flotation device."

Perez's family created a GoFundMe to fund his funeral expenses; to support the family, click here.

The other July drownings were: 

• On July 6, a 62-year-old Detroit man fell off a boat and into the water on White Lake and did not resurface. 

• On July 16, a 21-year-old Highland Township swimmer drowned in Townsend Lake in Independence Township 

• On July 20, a 20-year-old Detroit man drowned while swimming with a friend in Taylor Lake in Rose Township.

The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team (SSRT) was initially dispatched on the report that a child may have gone into the water. 

Upon arrival, the SSRT learned that the Detroit man had been swimming with a friend when the man began to struggle and went under water in the marked swimming area. Investigators 
believe the victim may have attempted to grab a nearby buoy but could not hold on. The friend did not speak English, making it difficult to convey to others on shore that the man was in peril. 

Another swimmer in the water at the time saw the victim go underwater and was able to alert authorities. SSRT, assisted by Southeast Michigan Dive Group strike teams from Livingston and Wayne 
counties, found the man in approximately 6-8 feet of water 50 yards from shore. 

He was unresponsive when he was taken to the shore. 

The man was taken to a nearby hospital by Milford Township Fire Department paramedics where he was later pronounced deceased.