Two young men swept away in Lake Erie off Huntington Beach remain missing, while a separate search along the shoreline near Edgewater Beach has already led to the recovery of one body.
Authorities said brothers Trent Sanchez, 19, and Austin Labbe, 22, were standing in waist-deep water at Huntington Beach Sunday evening when a rip current pulled them under. Family members who were at the lake with them told police the pair resurfaced briefly before disappearing again around 5:30 p.m.
Their mother, Tanya Labbe of New Franklin, said her sons were familiar with the beach and had been visiting with relatives. She criticized the lack of warnings at the park, saying there were no lifeguards on duty, no posted weather flags, and no alerts on the Cleveland Metroparks website prior to the incident.
One of the brothers who witnessed the tragedy said the current was too strong to fight. “It was no way of making it out… I was in total shock. It was hard to move, to watch, hearing the cries,” he told reporters.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Cleveland Metroparks Police immediately launched search and rescue operations, deploying boats, divers, and aerial resources. By Monday, the effort had shifted into a recovery mission. Poor weather conditions have repeatedly forced divers out of the water, though patrol boats have remained active whenever possible.
The search for the brothers comes as first responders also continue to investigate a separate incident at Edgewater Pier, where a fisherman fell into the lake the same evening. On Monday night, Cleveland Fire crews recovered a body from Lake Erie near Edgewater Beach, though officials have not confirmed whether the victim was connected to either case.
Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman said every available resource was called into action, but stressed that unpredictable weather on the lake continues to complicate recovery efforts.