LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — Searching in near-freezing water on Friday night, divers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol say they found the body of a man who drowned near the 18.5 Mile Marker earlier in the day.

WATCH: INTERVIEW WITH EYEWITNESS & HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICIAL

According to MSHP Sergeant Scott White, at 6:14 p.m., Highway Patrol divers found the victim in about 40 feet of water. Nearby was the victim's boat, at the bottom of the Lake, with the bow pointing up.

The victim has since been identified as 48-year-old Rick Steffey, of Homer, Ill. There are plans for Lake Tow to recover the boat on Sunday morning.

An eyewitness told LakeTV that he was driving near the scene and happened to see the boat mostly submerged in the water, with a man swimming near it. The eyewitness said the man appeared to be trying to reach a breakwater, which was the nearest object he would be able to grab onto.

The eyewitness said he yelled at the man to hang on, and he went to his nearby dock and lowered his boat to drive out to the man. But he says by the time he arrived, the man was gone and the boat had vanished, with only a small amount of debris floating in the water.

The eyewitness said he did not see any life jackets in the water, and it did not appear the victim had been wearing one.


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