Authorities pulled a body from a lake near the Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Mesa on Saturday following a waterborne search and recovery effort after a man reportedly went into the lake and did not come out , according to the Mesa Fire and Medical Department.
The male body was recovered at approximately 5:45 pm by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team. The body was found in water 8 feet deep and more than 80 feet from where the man allegedly entered the water, according to Detective Richard Encinas, a spokesman for the Mesa Police Department.
Just before 1 p.m., Mesa firefighters responded to a call of a man who went into the park’s lake and didn’t come back up. It was later revealed that the man entered the water after offering to help retrieve a basketball that had rolled into the lake from a nearby game, according to authorities.
“Unfortunately, the time that had passed from the time this person called us to the time the male entered the water had already been about five minutes,” Encinas said. “By the time the police or the fire department were called, it was already at least five minutes late.”
Encinas said the man went underwater during the pursuit of the ball and never came back up.
Upon arrival, the Fire Department collaborated with local law enforcement to launch an inflatable raft search of the lake.
According to Tyler Davis, a resident of the complex, several residents of a nearby apartment complex stood behind the police tape to watch the search and rescue effort in its early hours after noticing the helicopters hovering over the park while they were in the pool.
“I was sitting in my apartment and I heard the helicopter, it was so low I could hear my apartment shake,” said Megan Lewis, another resident of the nearby apartment complex. “It’s unfortunate that someone had to die in this lake, but my prayers go out to the family.”
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office donated its dive gear for the search effort after a call from the Fire Department, Encinas said.
The dive team working on the recovery mission retrieved the body from the lake shortly before 6 p.m., the spokesman said.
The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing and no further details have been released.
This is a developing story; Check back with azcentral for updates.
