LAKE ANNIE, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the body of a 9-year-old boy from Port St. Lucie that went missing in Lake Annie Saturday afternoon has been found.
According to PCSO, on November 26, the boy and his two brothers were on a pontoon when he fell over the front of the boat and was struck by one of the boat's propellers. Officials said the father jumped into the water to look for his son while his brothers called 911.
PCSO said the 9-year-old boy was not wearing a personal flotation device when he fell into the water but was not required to wear one by law.
Deputies responded to Lake Annie around 2:40 p.m. on Saturday with the assistance of Polk County Fire Rescue. Since then, PCSO's Marine Unit, Underwater Search and Recovery Team (USART), Florida Fish and Wildlife, and other agencies have been involved in the ongoing search and recovery efforts.
"It's a tragedy and an unimaginable nightmare for the family of the boy. We are using extensive resources to find him. We're working in a large lake with depths up to about 16 feet, with poor visibility, but we've been out there 24 hours a day and will continue to be there until we find him," said Sheriff Grady Judd on Monday afternoon.
Initially, the boy's shirt had been located during the search, but he remained missing.
On Tuesday morning, PCSO announced they found the boy's body.
At this time, it is unknown what caused the boy to fall over.
