Body of missing Lake Michigan boater recovered at Promontory Point
Authorities have identified a man washed up on Promontory Point as the former football player and athletic trainer who had been missing for more than a week.
According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, the man was identified Monday as Bryan Jeffrey Jackson, 38, of the 300 block of West 101st Place.
Jackson, who went by “B Jack,” was a father of two — Apollonia, 10, and Bryan Jr., 6. He played football at Bowling Green State University and Indiana State University, and was most recently a master trainer representing Nike.
His body was discovered Saturday on the rocks of Promontory Point in Hyde Park, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and detectives were conducting a death investigation pending autopsy results.
“I know the ancestors were there to embrace you when you arrived,” Tanya Lozano, who co-parented Apollonia and Bryan Junior with Jackson, wrote on Instagram on Monday. “I hope you can finally feel safe now, I hope you can be free.”
Jackson was on a boat near 31st Street Harbor with another man and two women when he allegedly jumped into the water Tuesday, Lozano, a co-founder of Healthy Hood Chicago, told the Tribune earlier this week. A woman who also jumped resurfaced, but Jackson did not.
Rescue and then recovery efforts by the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department as well as Coast Guard boats continued off and on through the weekend. Lozano told the Tribune that Jackson’s friends found his car parked near 31st Street Harbor on Tuesday night.
Friends and loved ones gathered for a prayer vigil in Jackson’s honor Sunday at Higher Ground Chicago, a prayer space at Healthy Hood.
A memorial service will take place on Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. at New Life Covenant Church Southeast in the Grand Crossing neighborhood.
Jackson’s mother and brother have set up a GoFundMe page to help with care for Apollonia and Bryan Jr. as Jackson’s family and community continue to mourn.
“He is gone TOO (soon),” Jonathan Jackson, Bryan’s brother, wrote on the fundraiser page. “We thank everyone who has provided support and kindness as we are going through this tragic event one day at a time.”
As of Sunday, 38 people have drowned in Lake Michigan this year — more than all four other Great Lakes combined, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
