The Brief
A 63-year-old man died after falling overboard near channel marker 18 in St. Petersburg during a family boating trip on Saturday morning.
Following the accident, a multi-agency search in the channel south of Maximo Park in St. Petersburg, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office,was launched, spanning two days.
Divers located the victim’s body Sunday afternoon. While the investigation remains open, detectives currently believe the drowning was an accident.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A family boating trip in St. Petersburg turned tragic this weekend after a 63-year-old man fell overboard.
The backstory
According to PCSO, detectives responded to 6701 Sunshine Skyway Lane South on Saturday around 11:35 a.m. after Tony Le fell into the water while boating with his family. Investigators learned that he was sitting at the back of the boat while they were going about 10 miles per hour. Once Le’s family realized he had fallen overboard, his family immediately turned around. His family and other nearby boaters were unable to find Le.
According to detectives, Le had medical impairments and was wearing a life jacket when he initially got on the boat but appeared to have taken it off before falling overboard.
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The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, United States Coast Guard, multiple Fire Rescue Units, Eckerd College, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped search for Le on Saturday and Sunday.
On Sunday just before 3:30 p.m., Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team members were able to locate Le’s body at an approximate depth of 19 feet.
What’s next
Investigators say the incident appears to be accidental, but the investigation is ongoing.
The Source
Information for this story was gathered from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.