Salt Lake teen drowns in Deer Creek Reservoir

Deer Creek Reservoir, Island Beach. A Salt Lake County teen drowned in this area, yesterday. Photo: Google Maps

DEER CREEK STATE PARK, Utah. — A Salt Lake County teen is dead following an incident at Deer Creek State Park on Thursday afternoon, according to Utah State Parks Blog.

Yesterday, at around 4:50 pm, Utah State Parks Rangers responded to the Island Beach day-use area of Deer Creek State Park after receiving a call of a possible drowning.

Upon arrival, rangers learned that 17-year-old Fernando Botello Arredondo had been visiting the park with members of his family. He had been playing in the water when family members said he suddenly went under the water and did not resurface. The water in the area he was playing in was approximately 4-8 feet deep.

He was not believed to have been using inflatable water toys or wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident.

First responders — including Utah State Parks Rangers and Wasatch County Search and Rescue — assisted in the search for Fernando. At about 7:30 p.m., the search team located and recovered Fernando’s body from the water. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

This incident remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe page has generated over $7,000 for the family of Fernando Jesus Botello. A representative from GoFundMe says, “When a campaign is created to support another individual, funds are safely held and only transferred to the beneficiary of the campaign. It’s also important to know that the platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, which means funds are guaranteed to go to the right place or donors will get a refund.”