12-year-old boy camping with father is found dead in lake, Arkansas deputies say

A 12-year-old boy was found dead in a lake hours after he went missing while on a camping trip with his father, Arkansas authorities say.

The child and his father were camping Sunday, July 23, near the Brady Mountain recreation area in Royal, about 70 miles southwest of Little Rock, according to the Garland County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say the boy went to Lake Ouachita to check on a fishing jug he and his dad had been using. When the child did not return, the father went to check on him, but he was unable to find his son, authorities say.

First responders from multiple agencies went to the lake, and divers eventually found the boy in 10 to 12 feet of water about 30 feet from the shoreline, the sheriff’s office said. He had been missing for more than two hours.

The boy, from Oklahoma, was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.

An autopsy will determine an official cause of death. The identity of the child has not been publicly disclosed.

This story was originally published July 25, 2023 at 12:04 PM with the headline "12-year-old boy camping with father is found dead in lake, Arkansas deputies say."