Missing Boater Found Dead In Lake Tarpon: Pinellas Sheriff

PALM HARBOR, FL — A 22-year-old Zephyrhills man who went missing while test-driving a boat on Lake Tarpon was found dead Sunday morning, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

David Christopher Wilson Jr. was reported missing Friday after an unoccupied 18-foot Carolina Skiff was found drifting near Juniper Bay in Lake Tarpon, deputies said.

Deputies responded around 6:15 p.m. to Lansbrook Lakefront Park, 3600 Lakefront Drive in Palm Harbor, after the boat was discovered.

The boat had been undergoing engine repairs at Boat and Motor Supercenters at 36851 U.S. Highway 19 North.

Wilson, an employee at the business, had left aboard the boat around 5:15 p.m. to conduct a test drive but didn’t return, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies conducted an aerial search of the lake Friday evening, while members of the PSCO Marine Unit continued searching until about 11 p.m. Wilson wasn’t found, and primary search efforts were suspended overnight.

Recovery efforts resumed Saturday morning. Deputies and other responding agencies continued searching throughout the day but didn't find Wilson.

These efforts resumed again Sunday morning. Around 7:15 a.m., Wilson was found dead and his body was recovered from Lake Tarpon, the sheriff’s office said.

The incident appears to have been accidental, investigators said. The Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

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