Crews recover body from Longview Lake after search for dad who jumped in to help kids
After an hours-long search, crews recovered the body of a man who jumped into Longview Lake in southern Jackson County to help his children and did not resurface.
Kansas City firefighters responded to the water rescue at about 9:35 a.m. Thursday at 9898 Longview Road, where they were told two adults had jumped into the water to help the kids. The man did not come back up. He was not wearing a life jacket, officials said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe, whose agency also responded, said the adults jumped in when the two children, who were wearing life jackets, started to drift away from a pontoon boat.
Officials recovered the man’s body before 2 p.m.
The children’s mother was there when the man drowned. Lowe said relatives at the scene remained in shock.
“Obviously it is a traumatic event for them,” he told reporters as crews searched in the dangerous heat.
The highway patrol used a sonar in the lake. Crews looked for hours in the area where the man was last thought to be, but the search was made more difficult because they did not have an exact location, Lowe said.
The expansive lake was also experiencing a heavy current with strong winds.
“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Lowe said before the man’s body was found.
The highway patrol advised people to be aware of their own abilities while swimming in a lake, which presents more complications than a pool. Lowe also recommended anyone swimming in a lake to wear a life jacket.
