Teen's Body Recovered At Lake Travis

AUSTIN, TX — A body believed to be that of a boater who went missing earlier this month has been found at Lake Travis, officials said Thursday.

A frantic search was undertaken Oct. 14 amid reports a person fell off a boat and never resurfaced after going into the water. Despite rescue efforts by search teams, a body was not recovered at the time. On Thursday, officials said divers found a body at a depth of 109 feet.

The recovery is culmination of event that began just before 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, when emergency officials were advised a 19-year-old man had fallen off a boat and couldn't be located. After unsuccessful rescue efforts, the response shifted to a recovery mission, officials said.

The boat was in transit from Devil’s Cove to North Point Marina when the teen reportedly fell into the water. Witnesses onboard the boat gave Travis County Sheriff's Office deputies locations they believed were where they last saw the missing man, officials said in a press advisory. 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 sheriff's deputies on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019.

Searches continued throughout the week, the sheriff's office said. On Oct. 18, the Travis County Sheriff's Office 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, officials said, consistent with the search area and the GPS coordinates associated with the 911 call. Two days later, sheriff's deputies were joined by DOER (Deep Ocean Exploration and Research) Marine and Orca Maritime of California, whose services were contracted by a private entity. Officials from there brought a deep sonar device to the search efforts and began surveying the area where dogs alerted, according to the sheriff's office.

Previous story: Missing Boater Feared Drowned In Lake Travis

Austin-Travis County EMS medics wrote in a tweet just before 9 p.m. on Oct. 14 they received reports of a person falling off the back of a boat along the 18000 block of Breakwater Drive in the northwestern part of the city. Two fire rescue boats were dispatched to the scene along with a medical helicopter to aid in the search.

After an exhaustive, 30-minute search of the area, medics categorized their efforts from one involving potential rescue to one involving recovery of a body.