Two men were discovered dead after a series of errors, according to Florida law enforcement officials, caused two young girls to be left alone on a boat drifting on a Florida lake.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that 30-year-old Orlando Ortiz of Winter Haven and 34-year-old Jeffrey Marrero of Auburndale were discovered in Lake Eloise after drowning.
On March 18, officers say the men attempted to rescue Ortiz’s girlfriend, Velcky Velasquez, 38, of Winter Haven.
As the boat drifted away from them, Velasquez was able to survive by floating on her back.
Saturday at 4:12 p.m., Jeffrey Marrero’s 10-year-old daughter called 911 to report that she and her eight-year-old sister were alone on a boat in the middle of the lake, according to the Sheriff’s office.
Responding deputies and bystander conducted a search for the terrified girls. The boat carrying the two youngsters was located, and the children were safe and unharmed. A deputy rescued the girls, then he and another deputy searched for the adults.
Velasquez was located treading water some distance from where they discovered the girls and the boat.
On Monday, March 20, a search and recovery team using sonar located the bodies of the two missing men. They were found approximately 350 yards offshore and 16 feet below the surface by searchers.
Velasquez explained to police that she and Ortiz rented the boat to celebrate the first anniversary of their relationship, accompanied by Ortiz’s friend Marrero and Marrero’s two daughters. None of the adults had any boating experience, nor were the men proficient swimmers.
The trouble began when Velasquez jumped into the water in the middle of the lake to secure the anchor to the boat. Strong winds blew the ship away from her, and the two men jumped into the water to assist her.
Only the woman survived the struggle of the three adults to return to the drifting boat.
The 16-foot boat drifted until it became entangled in a swamp’s vegetation, where the girls were discovered.