Victims of La Salle Lake boating accident identified

The two Indiana men who died in a Sunday boat accident at La Salle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area in rural Marseilles were identified Tuesday.

The La Salle County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as Clarence B. Royster, 80, of Gary, Indiana; and Clarence B. Royster III, 53, of Merrillville, Indiana.

More than 20 agencies were involved in a search for the men Sunday, after their 17-foot fishing boat had capsized on the 2,000 acre lake, according to Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police reports. A 7-year-old girl also was on the boat, but she was able to swim to shore, also wearing a flotation device. She was assisted by visitors who helped her contact her mother and grandmother. The men were the girl’s great-grandfather and grandfather.

This accident remains under investigation by La Salle County Coroner’s Office and the IDNR Conservation Police.