SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The body of a boater missing along the Myakka River since early Thursday has been located, according to authorities.
- Authorities received call at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday
- 2 teenagers rescued after vessel sank
- Teenagers expected to be OK
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was called about 10:30 a.m. Thursday about an incident in the area of Myakka State Forest.
A vessel sank with three people on board. A good Samaritan found the two teens standing in shallow water wearing life jackets and pulled them to safety.
However, one adult, the grandfather of one of the teens, remained missing for several hours.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission aided in the search.
"It was a very large search area and a very windy river," said FWC spokesman Brian Norris. "We started where the vessel was and broadened it out from there."
"We utilized different resources, including air support and vessels on the water," Norris continued. "Essentially used sonar, but the water is very murky, it's very deep in some spots but shallow in others, so there were different challenges that were posed in this particular search."
Eventually, the man was found in the water, unresponsive. He did not survive.
"It's a very tragic situation," Norris said. "Our hearts definitely go out to the family and our thoughts are with them."
The teenagers were evaluated and are expected to be OK.
Officials do not yet know what caused the boat to sink in the first place. The man's name has not yet been released.