The body of a 19-year-old college student was recovered from a Florida lake on Thursday – a day after he fell overboard during a boating trip with friends.
Officers pulled Graham McGrath from the murky waters of Lake Como around 11:20 a.m., ending a 16-hour search for the missing teenager.
“We hope and pray that we find him safe and sound,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said at a news conference. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
Marceno said foul play is not suspected at this time but has not been ruled out either.
McGrath rolled over on the side of the boat and woke up just before 7pm on Wednesday enjoying the lake with 13 friends.
Lake Como, located about 16 miles southeast of Fort Myers, sits next to Florida Gulf Coast University, where McGrath studied and served as a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
He was the only FGCU student aboard the private boat, which has a capacity to carry 16 people.
How the 19-year-old “went by boat” and “never came back” is yet to be determined.
College student Graham McGrath died Wednesday after falling into the sea during a boating trip with friends.@SheriffLeeFL/Twitter
“I can tell you that they’re swimming, they’re recreating — just like we want Floridians to do,” Marceno said.
“It was a very, very unfortunate situation and accident.”
Rescue teams scoured the lake through the night, but struggled to distinguish objects in the muddy “zero visibility” waters that had a dramatic drop of up to 30 feet, according to the sheriff.
Investigators searched the water for 16 hours before finding McGrath’s body.Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK
Officers used helicopters and dive teams, as well as sonar technology, to search for McGrath, who was eventually found 300 yards from shore.
It is not yet clear what caused the teenager’s death, but officials said there were no physical signs of trauma to his body.
Marceno quickly dismissed the theory that McGrath had been hit by a boat propeller, which recently led to the tragic death of New York publishing executive Adrienne Vaughan during a family vacation in Italy.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno said foul play has not been ruled out. Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Whether alcohol or drugs played a factor in the tragic accident is also under investigation.
The county medical examiner will conduct a toxicology report as part of the autopsy, Marceno said.
The 13 friends who were on board when McGrath slipped below the surface are also being questioned, but are reportedly cooperating.
Officials used boats, helicopters, dive teams and sonar technology to search for McGrath’s body.Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK
McGrath is a student at Florida Gulf Coast University and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I will tell you, everything we do is suspicious and, until we prove otherwise factually, we assume everything is true,” Marceno told reporters.
According to his fraternity, McGrath is just a week away from his 20th birthday.
“Graham is loved by all of our Fraternities, along with his friends and family,” Pi Kappa Alpha wrote on Instagram.
“Graham has a good soul because his smile is visible to everyone. His ambitious character and engaging personality exemplify what it means to be a true PIKE … We Love you Graham.”
FGCU, which is entering its second week of classes, is offering free counseling services in the wake of the tragedy.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
