Police identify men who drowned

PUT-IN-BAY — Police identified two men whose bodies were recovered from Lake Erie Wednesday evening.Pulak Malik 21, and James Fisher, 80, apparently drowned during separate incidents off the shores of South Bass Island and Bay Point Marina. It doesn't appear foul play is suspected in their deaths."Malik went into the water to retrieve an item that had fallen in," said Stephanie Leis, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Malik was visiting from India with his family.Several people called 911 to report Malik in the water near the shores of South Bass Island State Park.The Ottawa County Sheriff's office dive team recovered his body just after 7 p.m. He was taken to the Lucas County Coroner's office for an autopsy, Leis said.Police, meanwhile, responded to a second suspected drowning at virtually the same time. Fisher's wife called police to report she hadn't seen her husband, James, in quite some time. She said he was last seen working on his boat in Bay Point Marina at about 3 p.m., according to the 911 call.The Sandusky Fire Department dive team was called in for mutual aid while the sheriff's office was at South Bass Island. Marblehead police and the Danbury Fire Department responded, too."It was suspected he might have fallen in the water," Sandusky fire Capt. Marion D'Amico said. "We searched the area near his boat and did find him in the water."Ottawa County coroner Dr. Daniel Cadigan told Marblehead police he didn't see any signs of foul play in Fisher's death.His body was taken to Gerner & Wolf Funeral Home.Reach news editor Patrick Pfanner at pfanner@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @PatPfanner and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterA Coast Guard boat is pictured near a dock at South Bass Island State Park Wednesday afternoon. Authorities were responding to a possible drowning.