Nov 17, 2009 7:05 pm US/Eastern
Orange Co. Boater Feared Dead After Vessel Found
GREENWOOD LAKE, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Divers search Greenwood Lake in Orange County for the body of Steve Zaicek, whose boat was found adrift without him on it.
CBS
A bizarre mystery on a lake in Orange County: a boater with a history of financial problems suddenly vanishes. He was last seen at Willow Point Marina in Greenwood Lake Village.
Detectives and police divers braved bitter cold waters Tuesday, searching a five-mile stretch of Greenwood Lake for the body of 39-year-old Steve Zaicek. They've spent full days of searching, along with family members who scoured the shore, checking under docks.
Tuesday afternoon hearts were heavy as relative they told CBS 2 they know he is not alive.
"My brother tragically died in an accidental boating accident," said Mike Zaicek, Steve's brother.
Zaicek said on Saturday his brother took the 25-foot luxury cabin cruiser out on the lake while conditions were rough. It got late and he could not be reached. Saturday night a worried friend came to the lake and found the boat adrift with no one aboard.
That's when police were called and this search began.
Police say there is no sign of foul play, suggesting Zaicek may have been the victim of a tragic accident.
"He might have been trying to check something and it was raining that night, it was windy. If that boat drifting at a good clip and with the wet surface it might have caused him to slip off the boat," said Det. Sgt. John Hausen of Greenwood Lake Police.
Steve Zaicek has a history of financial troubles. There was a bankruptcy filing in the late 1990s, and reported fines and a suspension that stalled his career as a securities dealer. His brother said the troubles had nothing to do with his disappearance.
"My brother in no way attempted to fake his own death or attempt to commit suicide," he said.
The recovery operation is complicated by the fact the boat drifted unmanned for hours, requiring long sessions with side-scanning sonar in waters where visibility is less than five feet
Tuesday's search ended at dusk and will resume in the morning.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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