Child Drowns in Lake Nasworthy

Police have announced that the missing person in Lake Nasworthy has died by drowning and the body was recovered just after 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

A witness at the scene said the person missing in Lake Nasworthy near Mary E. Lee Park was a two-year-old male. She said that the toddler was in the water near the shoreline on a toy floatation device with his dad. “But his dad didn’t swim very well, and he drifted away,” a witness who claimed to have attempted to swim out a save the child said.

It was dark, at around 9 p.m. as the child in his floatie drifted away, further from the shore.

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Above: At Mary E. Lee Park on Lake Nasworthy on Aug. 7, 2015. (LIVE! Photo/John Basquez)

Over the radio, the San Angelo Fire Department was told that the child floated out beyond the buoys, about 50 yards off the shoreline. The child wasn't seen alive after that.

Two ambulances and a crew from a Fire Department pumper truck were working with police and the SAPD Lake Patrol boat to find the child. The police boat could be seen traversing parts of the lake where the child is likely to be found, back and forth, in a search pattern.

On the shoreline, adult family members and friends, and witnesses were in shock. Murmurs and cries could be heard. The FD battalion chief asked for the second ambulance in case someone had a breakdown.

This is a breaking story and so far, the report is gathered from witness statements at the scene. We expect official words soon.

Update 10:33 p.m.

The FD Battalion Chief ordered all lights off at the shoreline. Police asked the television reporters to not film. At this point, we believed something was about to develop.

Update 11:10 p.m.

Sgt. Cade Solsbery, spokesman for the San Angelo Police Department briefed the media at 11 p.m.

“At 9:26 p.m. police were notified of child in the water,” he said.

There were lake patrol units nearby and they immediately came to Mary E. Lee Park and began searching.

Solsbery said that the child was a two-year-old male.

Efforts to search for the child manually were unsuccessful, Solsbery said. And by that time, the SAPD Lake Unit’s patrol boat was on station with better search equipment.

“The child had been in the water about 50 minutes by the time he was found,” Solsbery said. “There were no signs of life when the child was found.”

Solsbery said there is no initial evidence of foul play. “It’s sounding accidental right now, but they’re still in the beginning stages of the investigation,” Solsbery said.

Update 12:50 a.m.

The last of the first responders cleared the scene.

Correction: Initial reports from the witness was that the child was female. We have corrected the copy to indicate the child was a boy.