16-year-old drowns in Ohio lake on Memorial Day

CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) – A 16-year-old boy drowned in an Ohio lake on Memorial Day.

The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office identified the teen as Yeiso Laines of Florence, Kentucky. He drowned in East Fork Lake, about 40 minutes from Cincinnati.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) had originally stated the teen was 15, but the coroner’s office clarified that Laines was 16.

Search crews recovered his body early Monday evening from East Fork Lake following reports of a drowning, according to ODNR. The teenager went under the water sometime shortly before 2 p.m. and did not resurface.

Witnesses at the lake said it was a group effort to find the teen.

“There were some people and some commotion over here on the side, people yelling, and a couple of minutes later, EMS showed up, and once EMS got here, they created a human chain, kind of, about 15 people or so, out into the water and swept the area,” said witness Joe Click.

Fisherman Bryce House said it was his brand-new gear that helped locate the victim’s body during the search.

Just the night before the drowning, House added a live scope to his boat, a tool that uses thermal imaging to find fish.

House was spending Memorial Day boating on East Fork Lake when he returned to the shore and saw people searching the water. When rescuers realized House had a live scope, they asked for his help.

The coincidental timing of adding the live scope to his boat the night before the drowning left House amazed.

“God speaks in mysterious ways, is the way I look at it,” he said.

ODNR reminds all swimmers to stay in designated areas at the beach or lake, exercise caution in murky waters, and keep a close eye on children while they are in the water.

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