POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 12-year-old boy was discovered drowned after he went missing on Thursday at a Polk County lake, according to the sheriff’s office.
In a news release, deputies said that the child was swimming at Lake Roy in Winter Haven, but the child at some point “disappeared in the water.”
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As a result, the sheriff’s office began searching the lake by boat, drone, helicopter and underwater sonar to determine the child’s whereabouts. Within less than two hours, the boy’s body was found, Judd stated.
During a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Grady Judd provided more details about what happened.
Judd explained that a man, his two young sons, and his nephew went out on the lake in a boat to fish and swim.
“The water was very rough. The winds were gusting today at 30 mph. And immediately, the kids had difficulty swimming,” Judd said. “(The father) was able to get his 9-year-old son and 10-year-old nephew and grab them and pull them into the boat.”
However, the father’s 12-year-old son — identified as Noah Gomez — began drifting further away from the boat despite the boy’s best efforts to swim back, Judd added.
“So (the father) jumped into the water, put Gomez on his back and was doing his best to swim back to the boat, which was drifting away from him,” Judd continued. “Noah slipped off of his dad’s back into the water, into about 18 or 19 feet of water.”
While this was happening, one of the other boys dialed 911 from the boat, prompting law enforcement officials to respond to the lake. But despite a quick response, Judd said Noah still drowned.
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“The dad was doing what dads should do, which is spending time with their children. And he was doing that because good dads do that,” Judd said. “And unfortunately, as a result of today, his son drowned.”
According to Judd, after Gomez’s body was brought ashore, his family requested to see him one last time at the lake shore before it was taken away.
Judd also said that the family is from Winter Haven, explaining that the boys were known to “swim very well.” Regardless, Judd urged families to put their children in life vests while out on the water — especially when the weather conditions are poor.
“You need to pay attention to the weather reports. If the weather’s rough, you don’t go out in small crafts,” he said. “But once again, this man was trying to spend quality time with his children.”