The Cass County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the apparent drowning of a South Bend man Monday afternoon in Kirk Lake in Penn Township.

At approximately 2:03 p.m., Cass County dispatchers received a call from a subject regarding a boat that appeared to be unattended near the public access site on Kirk Lake, northeast of Vandalia.

Police said the victim, 69-year-old Eugene Carpenter, apparently drowned while swimming to catch a boat that had drifted away from the launch site.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Carpenter was not wearing any flotation devices.

South Bend Memorial Med Flight Helicopter assisted the Cass County Sheriff’s Department in finding the victim.