BROOKFIELD — A body recovered from Candlewood Lake by the Connecticut State Police (CSP) Dive Team last week has been identified as the man who went missing in the lake over Memorial Day Weekend.

The CSP dive team recovered the body of an adult male in the same area of the massive lake where a man went missing on May 29, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) announced June 16. The body was formally identified as that of Larry Kwokpo Chan, 24, of Bristol, one week later.

The incident is being investigated as an accidental drowning, and the investigation remains open pending final report from the State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, also according to CT DEEP.

Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR) was among the multiple first responder agencies involved in the search for a man who went missing in Candlewood Lake over Memorial Day weekend.

Brookfield Police Department and CT DEEP Environmental Conservation Police (EnCon) were among the first to respond to the Brookfield Bay area of Candlewood Lake late Sunday afternoon, May 29, for a boating incident that involved the 24-year-old Chan, who went missing in the water.

Chan reportedly jumped into the water from an unmoving pontoon boat.

NUSAR, CSP Dive Team, Candlewood Lake Authority (CLA), Danbury PD, and Danbury Fire all assisted. Resources in Search And Rescue (RSAR) sent trained K-9 search teams as well.

Divers began their investigation in two different areas where it was believed Chan could be.

Boaters were asked to avoid the Brookfield Bay area while dive operations were underway.

At the surface, the water temperature reportedly averaged just over 60 degrees. Divers who went into the water, which is 70 feet deep in some locations, reported temperatures in the 50s and very dark, murky conditions. Candlewood Lake, according to CLA’s website, has an average depth of 30 feet.

By Monday morning, May 30, the rescue effort had become a recovery effort.

NUSAR was on the scene for three days. Patrol vessels and dive teams actively searched for Chan each day since he went missing, according to CT DEEP, until his body was recovered.

Candlewood Lake is the largest lake in Connecticut. With 65 miles of shoreline, it spans five towns and forms the western border of Brookfield. Its northern shores stretch into Sherman and New Milford; its southern shore is along Danbury Town Park.

The lake has a surface area of over 8.5 square miles, or 5,420 acres. It is 11 miles long, and two miles at its widest point.

Brookfield Bay is along the eastern shores of the lake. It is near Candlewood Inn, Down The Hatch, Candlewood East Marina, and Echo Bay Marina, among other shore points.

Anyone with information about the May 29 incident is asked to contact DEEP EnCon Police at 860-904-8154.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.