Sheriff’s office identifies personal watercraft rider who drowned in Kansas lake

Officials have identified the personal watercraft rider who drowned Sunday in a Kansas lake.

Michael Allen Giesbrecht, 20, of Lane, Kansas died Sunday at Hillsdale Lake, about 30 miles southwest of Kansas City, according to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded just before 2 p.m. Sunday to the marina at Hillsdale Lake in the 26000 block of Jayhawker Drive, where a caller said someone was unresponsive at the ramp for small water crafts near the marina, said Matthew P. Kelly, an undersheriff with the sheriff’s office, in a news release.

An investigation found that Giesbrecht docked a personal watercraft while the owner of the watercraft parked a vehicle and trailer, Kelly said. When the owner returned, he told officials he couldn’t find Giesbrecht, Kelly said.

Another personal watercraft operator found Giesbrecht shortly after. He was lying face down about 15 feet off shore and wasn’t wearing a life preserver. The water in the area was about 5-feet deep, Kelly said.

Bystanders brought Giesbrecht to shore and started life-saving measures, Kelly said. Emergency medical crews took over when they arrived and transported Giesbrecht to Olathe Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

An underlying medical condition may have contributed to Giesbrecht’s death, Kelly said. No foul play is suspected.

The investigation by the sheriff’s office, assistance from Miami County EMS and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, is ongoing.