At 8:27 pm on Monday, October 14, 2019, a 911 call was received, reporting a 19-year-old male had fallen off a boat in Lake Travis and could not be located. First responders immediately began rescue efforts but were ultimately unsuccessful. The response shifted to a recovery mission. The boat was in transit from Devil’s Cove to North Point Marina when he reportedly fell into the water. Witnesses on board the boat gave TCSO deputies locations they believed were where they last saw the missing man. Those locations varied and established a large search area. TCSO employed a number of search methods including, but not limited to sonar, shoreline and surface searches. Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Lower Colorado River Authority assisted TCSO Tuesday, October 15, 2019. Searches continued throughout the week. On October 18, 2019, TCSO was joined by Texas Search and Rescue who brought with them 16 searchers, 5 boats, and 9 dogs. The dogs gave a moderate indication in an area of the channel off Starnes Island, consistent with the search area and the GPS coordinates associated with the 911 call. On October 20, 2019, TCSO was joined by DOER (Deep Ocean Exploration and Research) Marine and Orca Maritime out of California, whose services were contracted by a private entity. They brought a deep sonar device to the search efforts and began surveying the area where dogs alerted. On October 24, 2019, a deep submersible ROV provided confirmation of a body at a depth of 109 feet. The Austin Police Department’s deep dive team made the recovery. TCSO’s role in the recovery is complete. Texas Parks & Wildlife will be handling the investigation.
(Photo: Shutterstock by Roschetzky Photography)
