POSSIBLE DROWNING AT LAKE ELSINORE AFTER VICTIM FALLS INTO LAKE

POSSIBLE DROWNING AT LAKE ELSINORE AFTER VICTIM FALLS INTO LAKE

SEARCH EFFORTS CONTINUE FOR HOMELAND VICTIM 
AFTER TWO DAYS OF FRUITLESS SEARCHING 

Written by Trevor Montgomery

HemetEyeNews.Com

Lake Elsinore, CA; On September 20, 2015, at 7:53 PM, the Lake Elsinore Police Department was contacted by concerned citizens regarding a man who had been struggling in the water after falling into the lake from a moving boat. The victim was believed to have possibly drowned in the lake and the victim's family members had been unsuccessful in trying to locate the victim. The victim was identified as a twenty year old male who had been helping his father tow a boat back to shore that had run out of gas on the lake with his family when the accident occurred.  

At 7:56 PM, officers contacted the victim's family members who indicated the victim had been boating on the lake with other family members when he lost his balance and fell overboard into the water. Although family members had thoroughly searched the area, they had been unable to locate the victim. With evening darkness setting in and after exhausting all their possible search methods and still unable to locate the victim, the family returned to the shore. Once back at the shore, the family immediately reported the incident to authorities.

With full cooperation and assistance from CAL Fire and the California Highway Patrol, the Lake Elsinore Police Department utilized several vessels and a helicopter to search the area for the victim. Unfortunately, the subject could not be located.  After several hours of searching, search efforts were temporarily suspended due to encroaching darkness and for the safety of those participating in the search efforts. 

The following morning, on September 21, 2015, at 8:00 am, the search was continued and included increased help and assistance from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Underwater Search and Recovery Team, as well as citizen volunteers from the Lake Elsinore Marine Search and Rescue Team who had responded to the scene at the request of the sheriff's department. Despite all the added manpower and assistance, as of the time of this report, the victim's body had not yet been found or recovered and the search was ongoing. 

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Sergeant Rick Garcia at the Lake Elsinore Police Department at (951) 245-3300.

Contact the reporter: trevor.hemeteyenews@gmail.com