A 3-year-old girl was found alone and adrift in a boat a day after she set sail with her father in Texas. Hours later, first responders recovered a man’s body on the evening of Aug. 16, not far from where the boat was discovered.
The toddler and her father went out on the boat Thursday. She was discovered floating alone and in “good condition” around 9 a.m. the next day, according to Lt. Johnny Rose, a spokesman for Hood County Sheriff’s Office.
The father and daughter launched about 5 p.m. from the Granbury City Beach Boat in Lake Granbury, about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Hours after she was found, authorities recovered the body of her father Oscar Monjaras Robledo, 36, near where the boat was discovered, about 60 feet from the shore.
The man’s body was sent for an autopsy. There is no evidence of foul play and it appears to be an accidental drowning, authorities said.
7-Year-Old From Indiana Drowns Alongside 2 Siblings at Texas Beach
In a similar tragedy last week, a 7-year-old boy tragically drowned at a Texas beach.
On the night of Aug. 8, Virginia Anthony’s son, Zyon, was in Texas visiting his father and spending time at a beach in La Porte, which is near Houston. At some point family members say they heard Zyon cry out as he was pulled under by a strong current. He eventually drowned.
Two other children, a boy and a girl belonging to his father’s spouse, reportedly tried to save Zyon, but became trapped under the waves. Tragically they also drowned.
“I’m kind of broken right now, I guess. I’m just quite broken. I didn’t expect to have to feel this way because it’s my child,” Virginia said.
Texas authorities say Zyon’s father and the mother of the other two children who drowned were close by and attempted to rescue the children, but added that the incident happened very quickly. Both adults and Virginia’s older son were able to make it back to shore with the help of good Samaritans.
In a press release, Chambers County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those involved in this tragedy.”
The family of a 7-year-old boy from Indiana is heartbroken after he tragically drowned at a Texas beach. https://t.co/MgEHXIT6QU
— FOX59 News (@FOX59) August 10, 2019
As Virginia deals with unbearable grief, she says her family is also struggling to find a way to get and pay for her son’s body transported back to Indiana to be buried.
“I’ve never had to do this in my life. And I’ve never been around anyone who has.”
Virginia adds that while she mourns, her biggest priority is now her oldest son, who witnessed the incident.
“My heart’s broken the most because of him. He’s too young to have to see this happen,” she said.
Virginia says she was told there wasn’t a lifeguard on duty at the beach where the incident occurred. Investigators have yet to confirm any details but say an investigation into what happened is “ongoing.”
