Arizona hotelier found dead in lake

A LAKE HAVASU City, Arizona, hotelier was found dead in a lake in an apparent drowning. On a community website, Pishit Patel was remembered as a “wonderful man.”

Law enforcement were called to Thompson Bay in Lake Havasu around 8:20 a.m. Oct. 15 in response to the sighting of a body about 100 feet offshore, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. Divers recovered the body, later identified as 64-year-old Patel.

“The official cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Mohave County Medical Examiner, however no suspicious circumstances were observed,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.

Patel, known as Peter by people in Havasu, owned the Island Inn Hotel and Sam’s Beachcomber RV Resort, according to the Havasu News.

Visitors to the Today’s News Herald Facebook page left messages of condolences for Patel.

“By all accounts, he was a wonderful man,” one message said. “I pray that his troubled soul is at rest and for his grieving family and friends.”

“I worked for him he was a nice guy,” said another.

Other visitors were concerned about the cause of Patel’s death.

“Would be interested in autopsy report,” said one message. “Sympathy for his family.”

In August, Oxford, Mississippi, hotelier Yogesh Patel was beaten to death in his hotel after evicting a guest.