Newtown Man Disappears While Swimming in Lake Lillinonah

A relaxing day on Lake Lillinonah turned into a nightmare for two families from Sandy Hook Monday, after friend, father and husband William Donovan disappeared while chasing after a flotation noodle in Barkwood Falls Cove, friends said.

Donovan, his wife, their daughter and two other families were on a boat anchored off of Cove Road in Brookfield at 2:30 p.m., Monday, when Donovan spotted a flotation noodle drifting away and jumped in to chase after it, said his friend and the boat's owner, Mark Streck, who was on the vessel with his own family as well as that of Donovan's brother-in-law.

Donovan entered the water fine, according to Streck, who saw him swimming after the noodle, feet away. Streck said that he turned his attention back to the kids for a moment and when he looked back, Donovan was gone. "Everyone was swimming around with their vests on, trying to pet the ducks," Streck said, piecing the minutes back together at his home the next day. "I turned back and Billy was gone," he said, adding later that the noodle was still floating where it had been.

The families immediately began a frantic search and were aided by a nearby boat and then a passing kayaker, as well, but to no avail.

Brookfield emergency responders and the Lake Lillinonah Authority patrol boat were on the scene quickly and began the search, assisted by the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue (NUSAR) SCUBA team, who arrived on scene shortly after 3 p.m., and the Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department.

Underwater teams from Brookfield and Newtown scoured the cove for two hours, but were unable to locate Donovan. The water was murky and the area was weedy and featured a stumpy bottom, according to NUSAR officials, which made the search difficult for the dive teams.

State Police arrived on scene after 5 p.m. with a side-scan sonar equipped boat and were able to find Donovan's body at 7:20 p.m., approximately 70 feet from the shoreline, in a water depth of about eight to 10 feet, according to Brookfield Police.

Donovan was in excellent physical condition, according to Streck, a longtime friend and neighbor of Donovan's, who would frequent the gym with him. Donovan jogged regularly, Streck said, and had not consumed any alcohol that day. Streck also pointed out that Donovan was a strong swimmer whose parents owned a house on Lake Lillinonah when he was a kid.

"Literally, he was right there," Streck said, pointing a few yards out into the street, still perplexed by the sudden tragedy, "It couldn't have been more than a few minutes."

The medical examiner's report is expected Wednesday afternoon (July 7). The Donovan family declined to comment at this time.