Body of 19-year-old man recovered and IDed from Lake Travis

A 19-year-old man fell off a boat on Monday night when he and his friends were returning to the shore from Devil’s Cove (pinpointed). GOOGLE MAPS

On October 24, 2019, Jack Elliott’s body was discovered in Lake Travis, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. The body of the 19-year-old man from Newport Beach, Calif., was detected by a deep submersible ROV, which provided confirmation that it was at a depth of 109 feet in Lake Travis. More than 16 searchers, five boats, and nine dogs helped in the recovery mission. The Austin Police Department’s deep dive team made the recovery of Elliott, who was last seen boating with friends ten days earlier, according to Travis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kristen Dark.

TCSO’s report stated: At 8:27 p.m. on October 14, 2019, a 911 call was received, reporting a 19-year-old male had fallen off a boat in Lake Travis and could not be located. First responders immediately began rescue efforts but were ultimately unsuccessful. The response shifted to a recovery mission.

The boat was in transit from Devil’s Cove to North Point Marina when he reportedly fell into the water. Witnesses onboard the boat gave TCSO deputies locations they believed were where they last saw the missing man. Those locations varied and established a large search area. TCSO employed a number of search methods including, but not limited to sonar, shoreline and surface searches. Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Lower Colorado River Authority assisted TCSO Tuesday, October 15, 2019.

Searches continued throughout the week. On October 18, 2019, TCSO was joined by Texas Search and Rescue who brought with them 16 searchers, 5 boats, and 9 dogs. The dogs gave a moderate indication in an area of the channel off Starnes Island, consistent with the search area and the GPS coordinates associated with the 911 call.

On October 20, 2019, TCSO was joined by DOER (Deep Ocean Exploration and Research) Marine and Orca Maritime out of California, whose services were contracted by a private entity. They brought a deep sonar device to the search efforts and began surveying the area where dogs alerted.

Since the discovery of the body, TCSO’s role in the recovery is complete. Texas Parks & Wildlife will be handling the investigation.