WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff’s Office gave an update on the missing boaters who went in Lake Eloise in Winter Haven on Saturday, saying that both men’s bodies have been recovered.
“For almost 48 hours with the help of the Seminole County sheriff’s office, and some special equipment they have and FWC with some special equipment they have along with our equipment. I’m pleased that we found these folks. I’m very sorry that we didn’t find them alive, but we didn’t anticipate that we would,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
At 1:30 pm Monday afternoon, Jeffrey Marrero was located, according to Judd, and Orlando Ortiz was located at 3:40 pm.
“They were about three to four hundred yards offshore in the lake. They were still at the bottom of the lake. They were located by FWCs, sonar that they used and they were located about a hundred and fifty yards apart,” said Judd.
According to Polk County Sheriff’s Office, four PCSO watercraft and sonar equipment, two FWC and sonar equipment, and a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office watercraft and their underwater drone are leading the recovery effort.
In the news: Proposal Seeks To Boost Florida National Guard Recruiting
At 4:12 p.m. on Saturday, March 18, 2023, the 10-year-old daughter of Jeffrey Marrero from Auburndale called 911 to report that she and her 8-year-old sister were alone on a boat on Lake Eloise.
The boat, a 16-foot Tahoe ski boat, had been rented by Marrero’s friends, 38-year-old Velcky Velasquez and her boyfriend, 32-year-old Orlando Ortiz, both of Winter Haven, to celebrate their one-year anniversary of being together.
In the news: Pasco Deputies: 2 Missing-Runaway Girls Last Seen In Zephyrhills, May Be In Tampa
Central District deputies Glenda Eichholtz and Jonathan Munoz heard the 911 call via the Live 911 system, and self-dispatched to the Lake Summit boat ramp, knowing there is no public access to Lake Eloise.
When they arrived at the boat ramp, they saw a man who was just putting his boat into the water.
They asked for his assistance, and he immediately agreed to transport them from Lake Summit and through the canal to the adjacent lake, Lake Eloise.
The deputies and Good Samaritan found the boat with the two little girls.
Deputy Munoz got onto that boat and drove them to the nearby Legoland dock.
The deputies then found Ms. Velasquez treading water far from the boat.
She told the deputies that she had jumped into the water with the anchor in order to secure the anchor to the boat, but due to the wind and heavy chop to the water, the boat began floating away.
The two men jumped into the water to help her. They are not strong swimmers and ended up going underwater.
In the news: 7 Florida Lottery Scratch-Off Winners Announced Last Week, Each With $1 Million Wins
Lake Eloise is near the Legoland theme park in Winter Haven.
While the lake is located next to LegoLand, the theme park released a statement saying that the incident did not happen at its park:
“A boating incident occurred on Lake Eloise today,” the statement read. “While the incident did not occur at our attraction and is not connected with us in any way, our staff is providing comfort to the family and the Hotel boardwalk is being utilized as a command center. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook Here Or Twitter Here. Signup for our free newsletter by clicking here. We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps.