SAN ANTONIO – A body believed to be a man who fell out of a boat at Calaveras Lake on the Fourth of July has been recovered, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Authorities held a press conference Wednesday afternoon, and the sheriff gave an update on the search efforts.
“This is a heartbreaking case,” Salazar said.
The body’s identity is still tentative, but authorities believe it is that of the 36-year-old U.S. Army staff sergeant who disappeared after falling out of a boat while fishing on the lake. His name hasn’t yet been released.
Salazar said at 12:18 this afternoon teams recovered a body in this lake. He said it is believed that that man was an army staff sergeant. @ksatnews
— Avery Everett (@KSATAvery) July 5, 2023
The man was fishing with two other men, both of whom were also active duty service members, around 8:30 a.m. when the incident occurred.
One of the men jumped in to try and save the man who went under the water but was unsuccessful, according to the sheriff.
The boat returned to the banks and began contacting emergency services.
Boaters and park-goers were asked to stay off the lake during the search.
Multiple agencies, including the Bexar County Emergency Services District and Texas Game Wardens, worked around the clock to locate the missing man.
Deputies spotted a body on the water shortly after 12 p.m., Wednesday.
According to Salazar, the incident is considered an accidental death but remains an active investigation.
“At this point, we are considering it an accidental death,” Salazar said. “We don’t suspect foul play in the least at this point.”
Salazar said rescuers were able to locate the approximate location of where the man fell in based on a photo taken of the man.
They used the GPS location of the phone and determined the geographical location from there.
Currents in the lake overnight also affected the search.
Calaveras Lake is located about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Antonio.
This is a developing story, and we’ll bring more updates as they become available.
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