LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The body of an 18-year-old man was found Monday morning in a Lake County lake. Officials said Andrew Ford was with two friends when he jumped off a boat on Lake Lucy Sunday, but his friends said he never came back up.
Ford was a wide receiver for the South Sumter High School football team. Family members told WFTV he was going to be a senior in the fall. His older brothers and sisters were at Lake Lucy near Groveland Monday morning when the Lake County Sheriff's Office chaplain told them Ford was found dead.
"I was definitely holding out hope, because I don't know my brother to be a swimmer, but he is a big strong guy and you just expect him to just walk out of those bushes like, ‘Hey, I'm OK,'" said Jereme Ford, the victim's brother.
Investigators had been searching since six Sunday night, using marine airboats with sonar equipment. That is how they found Ford Monday morning; the underwater radar captured his image in water that's only about six and a half feet deep.
"This just appears to be a very unfortunate boating accident," said Jim Vachon, Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Ford was on the Lake Sunday with three friends hanging out. Lake County sheriff's investigators said he decided to go in for a swim, but never came back up. One of his friends told detectives he tried to pull Ford back into the small boat, but he was just too heavy.
Investigators said only an autopsy will reveal if there was foul play or alcohol involved, and that's what family members want to know.
"I know that my brother couldn't swim and, I know if you can't swim, you're not going to jump in the water," Jereme Ford said.
Andrew Ford was the youngest sibling in his family, who told WFTV he had so much potential.
Investigators said there were life jackets on the boat, but it doesn't appear they were used.
Previous Stories: July 25, 2010: Crews Search For Missing Boater On Lake Lucy
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