Oakland County, MI – Two Oakland County men drowned in separate incidents during the July 4th holiday weekend, prompting renewed concern over water safety.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, 86-year-old Gerald Vernus Burge of Springfield Township was discovered deceased early Sunday in a pond behind his residence on the 8400 block of Rattalee Lake Road. Deputies responded just before 4 a.m. after a 911 call reported Burge, who had dementia, was missing. Divers from the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team located his body in roughly seven feet of water. He had last been seen around 5 p.m. Saturday.
Less than 12 hours earlier, dive teams recovered the body of 49-year-old Jason Dwane Brookshire from White Lake near the 3400 block of Jackson Boulevard in Highland Township. Brookshire had entered the water from a boat Saturday evening and never resurfaced. He was not wearing a life jacket, officials said. His body was found about 100 feet from shore in an area with heavy vegetation.
Both incidents remain under investigation, and autopsies have been scheduled to determine the causes of death. Alcohol is believed to have played a role in the White Lake drowning, according to authorities.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard called the weekend “extremely busy and tragic,” adding that public safety messaging had emphasized preventive measures leading up to the holiday. “Sadly, all the information we had put out in advance of this weekend about ways to stay safe could’ve prevented these tragedies,” Bouchard stated in the release.
The Sheriff’s Office said multiple dive teams from surrounding counties assisted in the recovery efforts, including support from a helicopter unit and K9 teams.
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