18-year-old drowns while kayaking with friend, Florida cops say. ‘So much potential’

The body of a missing 18-year-old, who was the captain of his high school football team, was pulled from a Florida lake after he disappeared while kayaking, authorities said.

Marine unit deputies recovered Aaron Tillman’s body after a nearly 14-hour search, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the morning of Sept. 8.

“Everybody is going to miss him,” said Eryk Anglin, the head football coach and pastor of Ambassadors Christian Academy. “The team is not going to be the same.”

Anglin told McClatchy News he was going to pick up Tillman for a fundraising event on Sunday, Sept. 1, when Tillman’s mom told Anglin he was missing.

That day, Tillman and a 19-year-old woman had gone kayaking on Lake McLeod, deputies said.

Neither was wearing a life jacket, and Tillman’s family told deputies the 18-year-old didn’t know how to swim and hadn’t been kayaking before, according to the sheriff’s office.

They paddled about 150 yards from shore, then the woman jumped into the water, which was about 12 to 15 feet deep, deputies said.

But when she resurfaced, she said she saw Tillman in the water as well, struggling to swim. A witness got in to help, but Tillman disappeared, according to deputies.

Several agencies responded to the lake at about 3 p.m., and they continued searching until Tillman was found shortly after 5 a.m. the next morning, the sheriff’s office said.

When Anglin heard his player was missing, he said he went to the lake and “never left.”

“I’m still out here buddy,” he wrote on Instagram during the search. “Coach not leaving until we find you. God please.”

He said the team and coaching staff were taking the news hard.

“He was such a respectful, honorable kid,” Anglin said. “He never talked back, always tried to get the team to listen to the coaches. He didn’t deserve this.”

Tillman was a linebacker and tight end with plans to play in college, his coach said. He was also going to spearhead the wrestling team this year.

“He had so much potential, so many opportunities to go to the next level,” Anglin said.

He described the 18-year-old as an “instrumental” part of the team who left a big mark.

Lake McLeod is in central Florida, about a 50-mile drive east from Tampa.

Drowning

At least 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and drowning is a leading cause of death for children.

Some factors can make drowning more likely, including not knowing how to swim, a lack of close supervision, not wearing a life jacket and drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance said there are tips to help keep you safe in the water, including checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.

“Don’t hesitate to get out of the water if something doesn’t feel right,” the group said on its website. “Whether it’s that the current is getting rough, rain has started to fall, or your body is just not responding like you would like it to due to fatigue or muscle cramps, then just leave and return to the water another day. It’s always a good thing to trust your instincts.”