A dive team found a man's body one day after he went missing while boating in Upper Mystic Lake in Winchester, Massachusetts, authorities said.
The boater was identified as 52-year-old Alford Garcia. Massachusetts State Police said the Lynn man was seen falling off an inflatable boat about 5:50 p.m. Monday.
The preliminary investigation found that "Garcia attempted to make it back to shore, became tired and began to struggle in the water, and then went beneath the water," police said in a statement. "Witnesses attempted to rescue Mr. Garcia but were not able to locate him."
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"We saw like people running over to the boat. We thought that they were running for fun," witness Joseph Haddadin said. "But then people started calling the police and the ambulance started to show up and then people started jumping into the water looking for someone. And then people started talking and said someone’s drowning.”
Massachusetts State Police divers and helicopter began searching the area of Shannon Beach and the Medford Boat Club just before 6 p.m. Monday when someone reported a boater went under the water and didn't resurface.
Video from the scene Monday showed several boats looking for the missing person, as well as divers in the water.
State police initially said they were searching for a missing swimmer but later corrected to say they were looking for a boater. The search was suspended for the night just after 11 p.m. and then resumed Tuesday morning.
Following the search by state and local agencies, a dive team recovered the body sometime after 9 a.m. Tuesday. Garcia's body was found in about 13 feet of water with a sonar device, state police said.
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Shannon Beach is a popular spot for freshwater swimming at Mystic Lakes State Park, according to the state's website. The beach remained closed Tuesday morning as authorities continued to search.
Massachusetts saw near perfect weather on this Fourth of July, with many celebrating the holiday at local beaches and lakes.
