by Michael Anderson

A body found in Larwill Lake over the weekend is believed to be that of a South Whitley man missing since last summer.

Marcus Wolfe disappeared at age 19 after leaving his mother’s house in Columbia City.

Early Sunday morning, his mother, Tammy Wolfe, delivered the bad news on Facebook.

She posted: “With heavy heart I need to let you know Marcus Wolfe has been found. He was found in Larwill Lake. I need to thank everyone that has helped.”

Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, Whitley County law enforcement recovered a submerged car in Larwill Lake, with a deceased male inside, according to a news release from the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office. The car was located by EquuSearch, which used advanced sonar technology to search the water.

An autopsy was conducted and the cause of the death is still pending the outcome of toxicological testing. Positive identification of the body is pending forensic confirmation, the release states.

The investigation is ongoing.

Larry Sechrist, Larwill Town Council member, told Teresa Carrano, editor of the Tribune-News, that the car went in the lake from the “boat ramp.”

The boat ramp consists of a small strip of asphalt on the east side of CR 700W.

Tammy identified the vehicle as her son’s car and said he was wearing the same clothes he wore the day she last saw him.

After Marcus went missing, Tammy began a relentless campaign to find her son. She posted flyers all around South Whitley and raised money to pay for searches. She enlisted the help of nonprofits and the community in the search.

In December, the non-profit Jodi Powers Search and Rescue from Kentucky was brought in to use drones and sonar to assist in the search. After the unsuccessful search, Tammy looked to merchants to help continue the search

A fundraiser was held at a local Dairy?Queen, and she also had “Help Find Marcus Wolfe” T-shirts made to continue to raise money.

Over the weekend, another non-profit, the Ohio branch of Texas EquuSearch, came in to search bodies of water.

At Sunday’s candlelight vigil in South Whitley town park, Suzanne Butcher, Marcus’ grandmother, said there is no way someone could have driven into the lake on accident.

Tammy said police don’t suspect foul play at this time, and she downplayed Butcher’s words.

“I’m just trying to take it day by day,” Tammy said.

She said she’s glad to have closure even though it’s not the outcome she wanted.

“Deep down I knew something was wrong. He wouldn’t just run off without calling,” she said.
About 50 people attended the vigil where supporters lit candles and shared memories of Marcus. They remembered him  as the class clown who always tried to make people laugh and never wanted anyone to be sad.

“He taught me so much about life,” said Carolynn Wolfe, a sister.

Supporters also praised Tammy for never giving up the fight to find her son.