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38-year-old man drowned in Willard Bay


38-year-old man drowned in Willard Bay

WILLARD, County Box Elder — A 38-year-old man died Saturday in Willard Bay after he was boating and swimming with friends and family when a storm pulled him underwater and he drowned.

The Utah Department of Natural Resources identified the man as Adre Leon Debose of Layton. He is the second person to drown in the lake in less than a week.

The incident occurred just before 4:30 p.m., the DNR said. The storm began to affect the northwest part of the state park near Eagle Beach.

A young woman, 19, who Debose was with, was swimming and began to struggle in the water. Debose’s 17-year-old son saw her and jumped in to help. She was wearing a life jacket and managed to return to safety on board the boat, but Debose’s son began to struggle as she did so.

Witnesses told DNR they saw Debose jump into the boat behind his son and the two clinging to a life jacket. While his son made it back to the boat, Debose was pulled underwater and did not resurface.

Utah State Parks rangers responded immediately and began the search along with the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation ROV team and Box Elder County and Weber County Search and Rescue.

Almost six hours later, at around 11:15 p.m., rescue workers recovered Debose’s body from the water. His son was examined by medical personnel and released.

“The Utah Division of State Parks extends our deepest condolences to Debose’s family and friends during this difficult time,” DNR said. “We also want to thank the agencies that assisted with the search and recovery efforts.”

In addition, the DNR encourages all outdoor activity enthusiasts to contact a dive buddy, wear a life jacket and keep an eye on weather conditions throughout the rest of the recreational season.


This is a breaking news story and may be updated.

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