Michigan Brothers Die After Falling Through Thin Ice

Northern Michigan lost two brothers last weekend after they fell through thin ice.

This past Saturday, three boys were out on the ice at Island Lake in Kalkaska County. At some point, the ice cracked, and all three went into the icy cold water.

One of them, a 14-year-old, somehow managed to crawl out of the freezing lake and yell for help. The only reason anyone heard him was because the girlfriend of 22-year-old Johnathan Brake went out looking for them. She heard the screaming, called 911, and that is when deputies rushed to the lake.

The 14-year-old was taken to the hospital and released. Brake was pulled from the water just before midnight. Rescue crews tried everything they could, but just couldn't save him; he later died at the hospital. His 13-year-old brother was still missing.

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According to Up North Live, search crews worked through the night but found nothing until the next morning. That is when divers found the 13-year-old in about seven feet of water.

Two brothers gone. Just like that.

Nobody expects something like this to happen when they head out on a frozen lake with friends. But it happens in Michigan more than anyone wants to admit. It is still early in the season, and that ice is just not ready.

We are so sorry for the loss this family is going through. No one should ever have to face something like this.