VIRGINIA BEACH
Police today identified a man who drowned Tuesday night in Lake Trashmore as Frank Perez, 31, of Virginia Beach.
Perez went in the lake just before 8 p.m. to try to retrieve his remote-control boat, which was disabled about 40 yards from shore, said Officer Margie Long, a spokeswoman for the police department.
He signaled to two friends that he was having difficulty swimming, and called for help, she said. One friend went in the water to help, but also had difficulty swimming and had to return to shore. He saw Perez go underwater.
Perez’s body was located shortly after 1 a.m., about 25 to 35 yards off shore in about 15 feet of water, Long said.
His body was taken to the medical examiner's office. Perez’s last known address was in the 1700 block of Buckley Arch.
The lake’s water is murky, the bottom is muddy and there’s a steep drop after about 20 feet, said Bruce Nedelka, the Virginia Beach EMS division chief.
About 30 rescuers from boat and dive teams with EMS and the Beach fire and police departments went to the lake to search.
They searched the water with a sonar scanner that detects shapes in the water. A Beach police helicopter used an infrared sensor from the air.
Patrick Wilson, (757) 446-2957, patrick.wilson@pilotonline.com
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