UPDATE: Holly Lake Ranch security has confirmed to CBS 19 that the teen who drowned Sunday at the Wood County lake is 16-year-old Austin Gaffney, of the Dallas area.
HOLLY LAKE RANCH (KYTX) - We're learning more about the drowning at Holly Lake Ranch Sunday in Wood County.
Crews found the body of a 16-year-old East Texas boy in a private lake in the Silverleaf community. We're told he wasn't wearing a life jacket when he and his 22-year-old sister were swimming across the private lake near their grandmothers' home.
When the boy's sister got to the other side, she looked back and realized her brother hadn't made it.
Local game wardens hope this tragedy will open the eyes of those across East Texas about lake safety.
It was around noon Sunday when Smith County Game Wardens got the call to assist the Wood County Sheriff's Department a 16-year-old boy had drowned in a private lake at Holly Lake Ranch.
"We arrived on scene and Warden Swift was able to get in a boat and utilize side scan sonar to pinpoint the location where the subject went down," says Smith County Game Warden Dustin Dockery.
By 3:45 p.m., the dive team recovered the body of the boy. Family friends on scene say he was a junior at Rowlett High School and played football. Dockery says tragedies like this can happen to anyone.
"Make sure when you're out in the sun to stay hydrated. Even healthy people can have a cramp," he says.
When Wayne McDaniel from Tyler heard about Sunday's drowning, he felt one specific emotion.
"The fear," he said. "It could have been one of my kids."
He took his four kids swimming at Lake Tyler Monday for Labor Day, and like always, told them the rules.
"Make sure they have their life jacket and don't go in the water that is too deep for them to swim in," he says.
If you're in a boat, by law you have to have enough life jackets for everyone on board. If you're under the age of 13 you have to have one on at all times, and if your boat is 16 - 26 feet, you need to have a throwable floatation device on board.
Dockery says no matter what activity you're doing on the lake, you need to have people around you.
"Make sure you don't swim alone," he says. "Stay safe. Use the buddy system."
They're all steps experts say you should take to protect yourself and your family from tragedy.
The 16-year-old who drowned Sunday is still not being identified. The Holly Lake Ranch Security Office is leading the investigation and has not released any more information about the boy or the drowning.
Holly Lake Ranch Security, the Wood County Sheriff's Department, DPS, several local game wardens, and several local fire departments all responded to the drowning.
