WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said two missing boaters were found Monday afternoon at the bottom of a lake.
The search and recovery mission was conducted at Lake Eloise in Winter Haven.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and Florida Fish & Wildlife (FWC) were sent to the scene after PCSO received a call just after 5 p.m. Saturday.
According to officials, Velcky Velasquez, 38 and her boyfriend, Orlando Ortiz, 32, were out celebrating their one-year anniversary of being together.
Accompanied by Jeffrey Marrero of Auburndale, along with his two daughters, they rented a 16-foot Tahoe ski boat to go out on Lake Eloise, which is near the Legoland theme park.
Officials said Velasquez attempted to secure the boat out in the middle of the lake by jumping into the water with the anchor, but due to the wind and heavy chop to the water, the boat began floating away.
Both Marrero and Ortiz tried to assist by going into the water to help her but ended up going underwater.
Marrero's 10-year-old daughter then called 911 to report that she and her 8-year-old sister were alone on a boat on the lake.
Deputies found Velasquez who was treading water.
As they looked for the two men, Judd says the deputies also knew they had to save those children.
"The boat in the meantime continues and is now pushed all the way across the lake into the swamp area with the children onboard. Now they can’t get to the children," said Sheriff Judd.
"So Deputy Munoz strips off his equipment, jumps in and swims to the boat that’s hung up in the weeds to get to the children. He fires up the boat and drives it around to a dock."
Judge said an FWC sonar was instrumental in finding the bodies, which were about 300-400 yards off shore and about 150 yards apart.
Kyle Cannon, who was also on the water on Saturday, says the wind was strong enough to make the lake dangerous for even someone with experience.
“Whenever the lake is choppy like that, a lot of these boats aren’t made to cut through and people can get thrown around. It happens all the time, especially with the water choppy like that," he said.
Cannon said he and his friends faced their own difficulties out there.
“He couldn’t even get out of the water…couldn’t get to his vehicle…looked like a war zone over there.”
Cannon, who grew up driving boats, said that Lake Eloise, which surrounds his father's house, attracts a lot of boaters.
“In my opinion, I think it is very, very easy to be an unexperienced boater and rent a boat or a jet ski…it’s an ongoing problem out here,” said Cannon.