A 12-year-old Florida boy drowned Thursday while swimming with his brother and nephew in Lake Roy in Winter Haven, authorities said.
Noah Gomez was brought to the lake by his father for a boat trip when he and the two other boys, aged 9 and 10, jumped into the water to swim.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described the water as choppy at the time of the drowning.
The younger boys managed to get back into the boat but the 12-year-old remained in the water, leading his father to try to save him.
The father jumped into the water to rescue the child and got him on his back but the boy slid off and went under the surface.
The sheriff’s marine unit equipped with underwater sonar, drones, and helicopters was deployed in the search for the boy.
Gomez’s body was eventually located and brought to the shore.
