PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A missing boater who disappeared while test-driving a vessel on Lake Tarpon was found dead Sunday morning, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO).
Deputies responded around 6:15 p.m. Friday to Lansbrook Lakefront Park after an unoccupied 18-foot Carolina Skiff was found drifting near Juniper Bay, according to a news release.
Investigators later learned the boat had been undergoing engine repairs at a business on U.S. Highway 19 North and that employee David Christopher Wilson Jr., 22, of Zephyrhills had taken the vessel out around 5:15 p.m. for a test drive but never returned.
The sheriff's office Flight Unit conducted an aerial search Friday evening, while Marine Unit deputies searched the lake until about 11 p.m., but Wilson was not located.
Search efforts resumed Saturday and again Sunday morning.
According to PCSO, Wilson's body was recovered from Lake Tarpon around 7:12 a.m. Sunday.
Investigators said the incident appears to be accidental.
The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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