WHITING -- A body found floating in Lake Michigan on Saturday off Whihala Beach in Whiting has been identified as that of a Chicago man.

Oscar Franco, 26, died of drowning, according to an autopsy conducted on Sunday morning, Conservation Officer Shawn Brown said.

Franco was last seen by friends around 1 a.m. on Saturday near Whihala Beach. At 9 a.m. on Saturday Whihala Park Manager Mark Mills observed a body floating in the water approximately 100 feet from the shoreline. That body was subsequently identified as Franco's.

The investigation into the events which led to Franco's drowning continues, Brown said.

Posted 8/25/2008