SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Hays County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the teenager who drowned in the Blanco River Wednesday afternoon.
- Victim was in designated swimming area
- Overestimated swimming ability
- 7 drownings in area since 2003
In a press conference Thursday, Sheriff Gary Cutler said 15-year-old Wyatt James Kunze of Lockhart traveled with a teenaged cousin on Wednesday to Dudley Johnson Park, also known as Five Mile Dam Park. They swam in the designated swimming area.
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The cousins decided to swim across the river to reach a rock formation. Sheriff Cutler said they underestimated the river’s current and overestimated their swimming abilities. When Kunze started struggling in the water, his cousin was unable to pull him out.
Photo of the Blanco River near Dudley Johnson Park (Spectrum News)
Several state and local agencies helped search for Kunze. Divers recovered Kunze’s body about an hour and a half later — just a short distance from where he went in. He was under 20 to 30 feet of water.
Sheriff Cutler said there have been seven reported drownings at Five Mile Dam since 2003. There were three near-drownings in that same time period.
Photo of Dudley Johnson Park rules sign (Spectrum News)
“Know your swimming capabilities. If you’re not a good swimmer, you should never swim alone, always swim with somebody regardless of how good you are. Rivers can change. Formations can change due to the flash floods,” Cutler said.
Cutler shared these swimming safety tips from Texas Parks and Wildlife:
- Learn to swim and know your swimming abilities
- Closely supervise children
- Stay hydrated and avoid alcohol
- Don’t swim alone
- Swim only in designated areas
A GoFundMe* has been created to help cover his funeral costs.
*This Gofundme.com site is not managed by Spectrum News. For more information on how the site works and the rules, visit gofundme.com/safety.