POLK COUNTY, Fla. — It should have been a day of fun and memories for a Polk County father and three children. Instead, the day ended in tragedy.
A 12-year-old drowned in Lake Roy in Winter Haven. A family, a community, and even Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd are heartbroken.
“We couldn’t help, and that’s sad," Judd said.
According to Judd, Ciriaco Gomez Benites took his two young sons and young nephew out on his boat to go fishing. Then, they decided to swim.
“The water was very rough," the sheriff said. "The winds [were] gusting [Thursday] up to 30 miles an hour, and immediately, the kids had difficulty swimming.”
Two of the kids made it back to the boat, but the Benites' 12-year-old son, Noah Gomez, struggled to reach it as it drifted with the wind.
“So [Benites] jumped into the water, put Noah on his back, and was doing his best to swim back to the boat that was drifting away from him. Noah slipped off of his dad’s back into the water — into about 18 or 19 feet of water," the sheriff said.
First responders with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Polk County Fire Rescue, Winter Haven Police, and Winter Haven Fire Department rushed to the lake to help, but it was too late.
Neighbor Amanda Stephenson, a mom of two, rode her bike to Lake Roy where she watched from the shoreline in somber silence as the crews searched the lake.
“Devastation," she said. "I feel really sad for the family.”
Stephenson said it’s not uncommon to see people kayaking, paddleboarding, or swimming in Lake Roy, but she said it's risky on a day as windy as Thursday.
“Very choppy and not safe," she said. "I wouldn’t go in it.”
Sheriff Judd said it’s a painful reminder to wear life jackets and avoid the water on windy days. It's also a reminder that even a normally-calm lake can by dangerous.
“You need to pay attention to the weather reports, and if the weather’s rough, you don’t go out in small crafts," the sheriff said.
But Judd said he couldn’t blame the dad, who had good intentions and was simply trying to have fun and make memories with his kids.
“It’s just a sad situation," he said.
“We’re ready for our visitors.”
Spring break season is back across Tampa Bay, and businesses are relying on spring break now more than ever.
