Missing swimmer’s body recovered after drowning in San Jacinto River

Officials are warning residents after recent drownings at the river

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Deputies with Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the body of a swimmer has been recovered after he went missing at the San Jacinto River Sunday evening.

Officials were called to Magnolia Gardens Park at around 7 p.m.

According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the possibly 50-year-old man was last seen swimming at the park. It was said the man swam to a small island, then was seen swimming to the other side of the San Jacinto River.

RELATED: 2 bodies recovered after children who went underwater didn’t resurface in northeast Harris County

Deputies said the man and his friend were playing ball in the water when the man decided to swim to the island. His friend told deputies he saw the man take a break in the water about five feet from the island and had not been seen since.

The swimmer’s body was recovered hours later.

“It’s sad,” said Veronica Trevino-Ruiz, who owns the park. “That’s definitely not normal.”

Officials said the man’s family claimed he was a strong swimmer, but officials added that sometimes it’s not enough.

“The biggest thing to always remember is like we have a piece that just came out, but where you’re in uncharted water and there’s underground natural hazards and have a hazard for swimmers, even if they’re strong swimmers, there’s always that possibility of catastrophic results and stuff. We try to swim across uncharted water,” said David Jasper with the Marine Unit and Dive Team.

This comes after two children drowned at the Xtreme Off-Road Park on Gulf Pump Road on Saturday.


About the Authors

Christian Terry covered digital news in Tyler and Wichita Falls before returning to the Houston area where he grew up. He is passionate about weather and the outdoors and often spends his days off on the water fishing.

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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