Wear your lifejacket whenever you go out on the water. That’s the message the U.S. Coast Guard wants to get out, and one that resulted in the death of a star teen athlete from Pok County, Fla., recently after he drowned in a sit-on-top kayak outing.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Aaron Tillman, 18, a star football player and wrestler at Polk County’s Winter Haven high school, went kayaking with a 19-year-old woman and never returned. Following a 14-hour search, authorities in Lake McLeod, FL, located the body of Aaron Tillman in 13 feet of water shortly after 5 a.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced. The report states that neither Tillman nor his companion were wearing life vests, with Tillman’s family later informing authorities that he did not know how to swim, and had likely never before been on a kayak.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Report:
“The Marine Unit from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching Lake McLeod for a missing 18-year old Eagle Lake man. PCSO deputies were dispatched to the scene at about 3:05 pm Sunday, September 1, 2024. Polk County Fire Rescue and FWC also responded and joined in the search. The victim has been identified as Aaron Tillman of Eagle Lake, a student at Ambassadors Christian Academy of Winter Haven, and a member of the football and wrestling teams.
PCSO detectives were told that Tillman and a 19-year old woman were kayaking approximately 150-yards from shore, in water that was about 12 to 15-feet deep. According to the early stages of the investigation, neither Tillman nor the woman were wearing personal flotation devices. Family members said that Tillman could not swim, and has never been on a kayak before. The woman told deputies that she jumped into the water from the kayak to swim, but when she resurfaced she saw Tillman in the water and struggling to stay above water. She told detectives that she did not know if he fell or intentionally got into the water. Despite the efforts of the woman and a nearby witness who went into the water to help, Tillman disappeared in the water. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Tillman’s family and friends, and we’re going to look for him like he was one of our own relatives.”
— Grady Judd, Sheriff
Watch Polk County Sheriff’s Office video here:
Click here for US Coast Guard story