Authorities Recover Body Of 16-Year-Old Isaiah Benz Of Canoga Park In Lake Havasu
LAKE HAVASU CITY (CBSLA) — Authorities have recovered the body of a 16-year-old Canoga Park boy who drowned in Lake Havasu over the weekend.
The body of Isaiah Benz was found Monday morning in approximately 35 feet of water on the lake bottom of the South Basin of Lake Havasu, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
The search for Isaiah had resumed at first light Monday morning, after authorities spent most of Sunday scouring the lake with the help of deputies in scuba gear, divers, side scan sonar technology and a helicopter from Native Air.
At about noon Sunday, deputies with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Division of Boating Safety were called out to the south basin of Lake Havasu after a teenager was reported to have gone underwater and had not resurfaced. Authorities say the teen had been on a pontoon rented by a group from Palm Springs and Canoga Park.
Authorities say the group got out of the boat to swim, but high winds separated Isaiah from the rest of the group and he began to struggle. When the rest of the group got back on the boat to try to pick him up, a man fell into the water and was struck by the propeller. He was pulled from the water, and two others jumped into the water to try to help the Isaiah, but they themselves also began to struggle in the water and nearly drowned.
The man who was hit by the propeller was treated immediately for his injuries, and he and the two others who nearly drowned were taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to Mohave County sheriff's officials.
The search operation was discontinued when night fell. High winds and water conditions are believed to have been a factor in the drowning.