Drowned body found of missing man in Holloway Reservoir

August 5, 2024

COLUMBIAVILLE – The search for the man who disappeared into the murky waters of the Holloway Reservoir earlier yesterday has ended. The man’s drowned body was found in the general area where he was last seen. The body of William Richards, 56, of Lapeer was found at 7:22 p.m. on Sunday evening. Richards, according to a press release from Lapeer County Sheriff’s office was spotted near his kayak struggling to stay above water around 12 p.m. on Sunday. Lt. Andy Engster of Lapeer County Sheriff’s office was in charge of leading the search and rescue effort.

A witness nearby who called 911 said they saw a man struggling in the water near his kayak. The witness ran out to help the man and then the man disappeared below the surface of the water near Levi Cutting Park. The witness did not know how the man ended up in the water. The witness called 911 and emergency personnel were dispatched and arrived on scene shortly after 12 p.m. After nearly eight hours of searching, the man’s body was found.

Divers remove man’s body from water near Holloway Dam

 Jan 31, 2023 

RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) – Authorities worked through frigid temperatures to pull a man’s body from the icy water near Holloway Dam on Monday evening, January 30, 2023.

The body was identified as Tony Bigelow of Flint, who was last seen alive on Sunday afternoon.

Genesee County Park Police Chief David Dwyer said a visitor walking on the catwalk above Holloway Dam spotted Bigelow’s body in the water next to the dam around 5:20 p.m.

Dive teams from Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland, Saginaw and St. Clair counties helped get to the body and bring it back to shore. They used a hovercraft from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to get across the icy water.

Temperatures dropped below zero during the recovery effort, which complicated the process.

Dwyer said Bigelow was last seen alive around 2 p.m. Sunday. Investigators believe he walked onto the ice on Holloway Reservoir, fell through and drowned.

Police are investigating Bigelow’s death as an accidental drowning.