Body of 15-year-old teen recovered from Sand Hollow
A search and rescue effort at Sand Hollow State Park on August 3 has unfortunately resulted in the recovery of a 15-year-old’s body.
Authorities responded to a report of a 15-year-old boy who went missing in the water while paddleboarding during the morning hours.
There is currently no reports of the teen being with anyone at the time of the incident, and he was allegedly not wearing any sort of safety equipment.
Officials searched into the afternoon with no luck on locating the teen, but that changed when officials found the boy around 12:30 p.m., about 25 feet under water.
The teen has been identified as a resident of South Jordan.
Update:
Devan Chavez, a public information officer for Utah State Parks, spoke with me over the phone to give some more details into this unfortunate event.
Chavez said, "Our state park law enforcement rangers received a report of a paddle boarder who was in distress and had fallen off his paddle board on the South beach area, which is inside Sand Hollow State Park on the South side."
Teams from Washington County Search and Rescue, Hurricane City Police Department, and Utah State Parks, were all dispatched to look for the South Jordan Teenager.
The teen was reportedly visiting Southern Utah with family, and was with his family this morning at the lake.
The water in the lake was 80 degrees, there wasn't much wind, and the waves were relatively calm.
Chavez said the teen allegedly didn't have a life jacket, but it's unknown if one was attached to his paddle board.
Utah State Parks, and the Hurricane City Police Department are collaborating on an investigation as to why the South Jordan teen didn't resurface despite the stable conditions at the lake.
Chavez said, "This the last thing that anyone who goes outside to visit a state park or really any other recreation area wants to have happened to them or a family member. It's also the last thing that any state park ranger or staff member wants to have happen. It's very very tragic."
Despite the unfortunate outcome from today's events, Chavez wanted to thank all of the emergency crew from Utah State Parks, Hurricane City Police Department, the Washington County Sherriff's Office, and the Washington County Dive Crew for their assistance in this matter.