A 77-year-old man fell into a creek while fishing in Denton on April 26, Denton Fire Department announced. His body was later found and recovered the next day.
According to the Denton Fire Department, the man’s wife said they had been fishing along Clear Creek near Hartlee Field when the bank they were standing on collapsed. The man then fell into the water.
The wife reported to authorities, who began searching the creek for him.
According to the department, first responders had difficulty finding the wife due to the muddy trails that limited access to the creek. They also could not opt for a zodiac boat due to flooding conditions caused by rain on April 25 and April 24.
The rain that fell on those two days had left the creek nearly 10 feet higher and more than two times wider than it usually stood, a spokesman for the fire department said. The creek conditions made the search difficult for responders, David Boots said.
Per The Dallas Morning News, multiple organizations were involved in the search. The search party included 40 personnel and a dive team. The fire department also said in an announcement that a drone was dispatched.
DFD/DPD searching for possible drowning victim on Clear Creek near Hartlee Field. Crews deploying from 380 Greenbelt access. A drone will be deployed for this search. @LewisvilleFire enroute with dive team. @cityofdentontx @DENTONPD @DentonScanner @DFWscanner pic.twitter.com/mWlgNgyRW3
— City of Denton Fire Department (@DentonFireDept) April 26, 2022
A breakthrough came when a Texas Parks and Wildlife boat crew found the man at about 2:35 p.m. on April 27. He was found about 100 yards away from the portion of the creek he had fallen in.
Authorities have recovered his body and have taken him to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office and they have not released the identity of the man.
Over 60 personnel from eight organizations participated in the search, including Texas Game Wardens, the Flower Mound Fire Department, the Lewisville Fire Department, the Denton police, and fire departments.
