ROSE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A member of a moving crew drowned in an Oakland County lake over the weekend while they were taking a break to cool off.
Oakland County deputies were called at 11:07 a.m. Saturday, July 20, 2024, to Taylor Lake in Rose Township.
Marsalis Quintin Carter, 20, of Detroit and Tuskegee, Alabama, was part of a moving crew that was helping a Rose Township resident move, officials said.
When the moving crew took a break, they asked the homeowner if they could go out on the boat to cool off, so the homeowner took them to the lake.
Carter and another man jumped off the side of a pontoon boat into the water, but Carter didn’t resurface.
His body was found at 12:30 a.m. Sunday after a search that lasted more than 13 hours and involved at least 25 divers, Oakland County deputies said. They used sonar equipment because of poor visibility in the lake.
His body was about 300 feet from the shore, in 35 feet of water.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning.
“I encourage people to have a personal flotation device on if they are not strong swimmers when they get in the lake, as we have had numerous drownings this summer in similar situations,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “Even if you are a strong swimmer and have been drinking alcohol, it’s a good idea, as well.”