Travis Lake Drowning Victim Identified After Body Recovered

AUSTIN, TX — The body of a swimmer at Lake Travis who went under water without resurfacing this weekend was identified on Monday.

The Travis County Sheriff's Department said the swimmer has been identified as Luke Fashaw, 36, of San Antonio.

Deputies responded to the lake just before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, amid reports the man had gone under water without resurfacing in the area of Devil's Hollow on Lake Travis. After a half-hour search, rescue efforts proved unsuccessful and the search turned into a recovery mission, officials said.

As the sheriff's office dive team was being contacted and assembled, a press advisory notes, a civilian deep sea diver who was in the area geared up and dove into the water where the man was last seen. The civilian was able to locate the body, a sheriff's office spokeswoman said.

According to witnesses, Fashaw was swimming with friends near an anchored pontoon boat, officials said. He appeared to be swimming normally when last seen, but his body was recovered from an area 50 feet deep.

An investigation into the cause of Fashaw’s death is ongoing, according to the sheriff's office, but evidence so far points to an accidental drowning. The autopsy was conducted on Monday, with the final report pending toxicology results.

The drowning is the latest to occur at Lake Travis in the last few months. a couple of drowning victims have yet to be recovered from the lake's depths:

• Manuel Salas, 53 of Elgin was reported missing on May 5 in an area of Lake Travis near Mansfield Dam Park and has yet to be found. In an exclusive interview with Patch, his wife described witnessing him go under water after anchoring, never to resurface.
• Rachel Kathleen Scott, 25 of Round Rock was reported missing between Starnes Island and Volente Beach on May 19. She's still missing.
• Diego Humberto Cerda-Acosta, 30 of Austin was reported missing in the water near Bob Wentz Park on May 27. His body was recovered the morning of May 28, 2018.
• Ricardo Sierra Martinez, 27 of Mexico was reported missing in the water near Bob Wentz Park on June 10. His body was recovered the morning of June 12.

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