A drifting boat on open water can turn a calm outing into an emergency in seconds. That was what happened Thursday afternoon near Twin Dikes on Lake Sam Rayburn when 57-year-old Leopoldo Pantoja and his wife jumped into the water near an island to cool off. Breeze and water currents pushed their untethered boat away, leaving them stranded far from shore.
Pantoja tried to swim after the runaway boat before it drifted too far out. Swimming after a moving boat in open water is extremely tough because wind carries boats faster than a person can swim. During his attempt to catch it, Pantoja went under the surface and did not come back up.
His wife remained stranded until a civilian on a jet ski saw her in the water. The jet-skier rode over, picked her up, and brought her safely to shore. Once on land, she alerted local emergency crews that her husband had gone under. Dispatchers immediately called in search teams to the Jasper County side of the lake.
The call sparked a large multi-agency search effort. Units from local fire departments, Texas Game Wardens, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Texas Department of Public Safety rushed to the scene. Volunteers from Texas EquuSearch and local residents joined in, bringing more boats and eyes to the search area.
Searchers focused on the water surrounding Twin Dikes, using sonar tools and aircraft to check the area around the island. Search teams worked through Friday and Saturday without finding any signs of Pantoja. Responders stayed on the water throughout the weekend while family members waited near the shore for updates.
The operation ended early Sunday morning, August 16. At roughly 7:30 a.m., a searcher with the Lake Rayburn Volunteer Fire Department located and recovered Pantoja’s body from the water. Emergency officials confirmed the recovery shortly after, bringing the intensive search to a close.
First responders cleared the Twin Dikes search site after finishing the recovery work. With the search operation on Lake Sam Rayburn concluded, local officials and search volunteers shared their condolences with Pantoja’s wife and family as they navigate the days ahead.
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