CANYON LAKE, Texas — A fourth day of searching and still no sign of a man who went missing at Canyon Lake, on the Fourth of July.
Crews checked out a possible lead Tuesday morning.
Canyon Lake Fire/EMS crews launched Marine 53 and used sonar to try to locate the man they fear drowned over the holiday weekend.
Their devices picked up something 70 feet below the surface, so they called in the New Braunfels dive team to check it out.
The team previously spent two days searching in a grid pattern near Party Cove, where the man was last seen. The methodical search produced no results, so the investigation moved to a surface search.
Tuesday morning, the dive team returned for the specific mission.
“They actually got an indication that there’s something that’s unidentifiable, and so we brought the dive team back out, they’re going to look at a particular area about 70 feet deep in the water and it has the interest of the crew onboard and they want a closer look at that,” said Canyon Lake Fire/EMS Chief Darren Brinkkoeter.
The dive took roughly three hours. The crews go down in pairs and have limited time below the surface. It’s also difficult to see that deep. First responders report a lot of debris in the targeted zone. The search Tuesday was not successful. Marine 53 and Game Wardens will continue to search from the surface of the lake.
Comal County Sheriff’s deputies say Luis Alexandria Rodriguez, 25, from Mexico jumped off a boat Saturday and has not been seen since.
This is the second possible drowning for Canyon Lake crews this year. The Fire/EMS personnel have also responded to near drownings, stranded boaters and helped those whose jet skis have turned over. This year a small plane crashed into the lake as well, which required emergency response. Marine 53 has also been used to fight brush and structure fires from the coastline.
First responders remind everyone who spends time at Canyon Lake to take proper precautions.
“Life jackets for everybody on board, a fire extinguisher just in case you're out there on your own,” said Chief Brinkkoeter. “I get it that there's water all around you but the fuel and the flammability is inside the boat, not on the outside. [Bring] plenty of drinking water, staying hydrated.”
He encourages life jackets even for experienced swimmers.
“The depth of the water is just so unpredictable out here,” said Chief Brinkkoeter. “There's so many moving parts. The old river current is still under that the lake itself. There’s different flow channels and rock formations.”
While Game Wardens and Canyon Lake crews will continue looking for Rodriguez, the public is asked to call the Comal County Sheriff’s Office if they see anything.
A family member of the victim also asked homeowners with properties overlooking Party Cove to check surveillance cameras. The footage from Saturday between 2:30-5:30 p.m. could be useful.
Comal County Sheriff’s Office: (830) 620-3400