Grand Haven—Grief has settled over the tight-knit community of Grand Haven after the heartbreaking discovery of two longtime residents, 65-year-old Daniel Meyers and 49-year-old Jason Aemmer, who died when their snowmobiles plunged through the unstable ice of Round Lake in Mason County, Michigan, late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Their bodies were recovered on Sunday after a long, dangerous search that drew in agencies from across the region.
The ordeal began to unfold around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 14, when worried family members alerted authorities after losing contact with the two men. They had been expected to be riding the snowmobile trails in neighboring Lake County, but hours passed with no word from them. Deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office launched a search that initially focused on those trails in the dark and falling snow.
As the pre-dawn hours approached around 4:30 a.m., the search widened into eastern Mason County after a volunteer searcher spotted tracks on Sugar Grove Road leading directly onto the frozen surface of Round Lake—but crucially, there were no tracks showing that the riders ever returned from the lake. The sighting shifted the focus of the investigation and brought a sense of mounting dread to rescuers and loved ones alike.
Because of the blinding snow and pitch darkness, emergency crews were forced to wait until sunrise before they could safely search the frozen lake. First light revealed a snowmobile helmet lying several hundred yards offshore—a chilling sign of where the accident might have occurred. A drone deployed by law enforcement later confirmed a hole in the ice near the helmet, raising fears that the ice had been far too thin to support the machines and their riders.
Rescue and recovery teams from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police Dive Services, and fire departments from around the region converged on Round Lake. The conditions were treacherous: rescuers repeatedly broke through the fragile ice as they tried to reach the suspected accident site. An airboat from the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office was brought in to help navigate the icy waters, and dive teams pressed on despite the risks.
At one point, a Michigan State Police diver fell through the ice during the recovery effort but was safely pulled to shore by a fellow diver, both tethered together—a stark reminder of how dangerous the search had become. Finally, the teams located the bodies of the two men in about six feet of frigid water, with their snowmobiles found submerged nearby. Authorities confirmed that the victims were indeed Daniel Meyers and Jason Aemmer, both beloved members of the Grand Haven community.
In the wake of the tragedy, friends, neighbors and even strangers have rallied around the families, sharing memories and offering condolences as they come to terms with the loss. In a region where snowy winters and icy lakes are part of life, the incident serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly adventure can turn into heartbreak when conditions are unforgiving.
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