Genoa man identified in Lake Tahoe drowning at Marla Bay
UPDATE: The person who drowned at Marla Bay on Monday has been identified as William Dunham, a 79-year-old Genoa resident (not 80 years old as previously released). He had fallen overboard while he was attempting to tie his boat onto a mooring ball in Marla Bay in Lake Tahoe.
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MARLA BAY, Nev. — Divers with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue recovered the body of a man from 20 feet below the surface of the lake near Marla Bay on Monday afternoon.
Around 4 p.m. on July 18, Tahoe Douglas Fire Department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a man who failed to resurface after jumping off his boat to hook it up to a buoy. At first, an exact location of where the man might be was not provided, so a Care Flight helicopter was called to provide support from the air as first responders attempted to locate the man in Lake Tahoe.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) was called to the scene after the man's body was spotted about 20 feet below the surface. That distance was too far down for Tahoe Douglas personnel at the time, and SLTFR is trained to go below with its diver equipment and tanks. They were able to recover the unidentified man.
The man had been spending a day on the lake in his boat with his wife and family, including grandchildren.
At this time it is unknown if the deceased drowned due to Cold Water Shock.
No other information is available at this time.