Travis County Officials Release Name Of Hamilton Pool Drowning Victim [UPDATED]

AUSTIN, TX -- Travis County Sheriff's Office officials on Wednesday identified the victim of a drowning at Hamilton Pool over the weekend.

The victim was identified as Antonio Ramirez-Lopez, 20, a native of Mexico. He was found at 9:50 a.m. in a section of the naturally fed pool with a 25-foot depth. TCSO officials ruled the death an accidental drowning.

Ramirez was reported missing at about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday after having been last seen walking in the water. Rescue crews called off their search until they were able to resume it the following Monday, Oct. 3. Divers from the Williamson County Sheriff's Office dive team responded to the pool, where they recovered Ramirez's body.

Hamilton Pool has grown in popularity in recent years, leading officials to limit the number of people able to use the site at a given time. Those recently implemented attendance limits are made more urgent given the lack of a lifeguard on duty there.

Given the throngs there last weekend, an abundance of silt floating through the water complicated search efforts from the resulting limited visibility caused by the added activity.

This isn't the first drowning at Hamilton Pool. The most recent one occurred just last month when a 17-year-old Harker Heights teen died a day after being pulled from the water there. In March, a man was hospitalized after nearly drowning at Hamilton Pool.

From Oct. 3:

AUSTIN, TX -- Emergency officials have recovered the body of a young swimmer who went under at Hamilton Pool on Sunday and never surfaced.

Austin-Travis County EMS officials made the grim announcement on Monday via Twitter. The victim, a man in his 20s, was swimming with friends on Sunday afternoon when he went into distress, submerged and never came back up.

Hamilton Pool is a perennially popular destination for pool lovers, made more appealing by the natural surroundings of the spring-fed watering hole. But that popularity frustrated underwater divers' search for the drowning victim given the density of silt that was disturbed by the many swimmers that impaired divers' vision, according to earlier reports.

The man's identity has not been disclosed.

This is the latest incident to occur at Hamilton Pool -- an area that has no lifeguard on duty -- in the last few months. In August, a 17-year-old Harker Heights teen died a day after being pulled from the water there. And in March, a man was hospitalized after nearly drowning at the pool.

From earlier:

AUSTIN, TX -- Emergency officials on Monday are expected to resume a search for a swimmer who went missing on Sunday at the Hamilton Pool.

Sadly, the attempts will be a recovery mission rather than a rescue one, given that the victim -- a young man in his 20s -- went under water at the naturally fed pool and never surfaced at around 5 p.m. on Sunday, according to Travis County Sheriff's Office officials and medics at Austin-Travis County EMS.

The search for the missing swimmer was called off Sunday evening after officials from three local agencies failed to find the man, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Toward its center, Hamilton Pool is about 30 feet in depth. TCSO spokeswoman Kristen Dark told the Statesman the pool was crowded (as the popular spot usually is), and silt stirred up by the multitudes exacerbated underwater search efforts.

Hamilton Pool has gotten so busy in recent years, that only a certain number of people are allowed to enjoy it on any given day. Its tranquil appearance appeals to many, but county officials warn on their website as to the lack of lifeguards there: "Remember there is no lifeguard on duty," a notice reads, the warning made more urgent given the latest drowning there. "Swim at your own risk."

For now, the pool will be closed on Monday, officials said. The earliest it might re-open is Tuesday morning, although officials can't say for certain as renewed public access is now contingent on finding the missing swimmer.

This is the latest incident to occur at the urban oasis in recent months. In August, a 17-year-old Harker Heights teen died a day after being pulled from the water there. And in March, a man was hospitalized after nearly drowning at the pool.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Photo via Travis County