20-year-old dies in drowning accident at Lake Tahoe's Whale Beach
Submitted by paula on Sun, 07/28/2024 - 9:49pm
MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: Twenty-one-year-old Owen Joseph McDonough visiting from Villa Hills, Kentucky has been positively identified as the drowning victim rescued from rough waters at Lake Tahoe's Whale Beach on Sunday evening.
McDonough's family has been notified.
McDonough was described by the family as an intermediate-skilled swimmer, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office. He had been swimming with friends to offshore rocks and was overcome by rough waters, disappearing beneath the surface. McDonough was pulled from the water to the beach where all attempts to resuscitate by bystanders and North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District proved futile.
The investigation revealed that McDonough was not wearing a personal flotation device. Currently, alcohol does not appear to be a contributing factor and an autopsy and toxicology tests are being conducted at the Washoe County Medical Examiner's Office.
LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - A 20-year-old man drowned Sunday at Whale Beach in the Carson City limits on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe.
On July 28, 2024, at 5:15 p.m., a 911 call about a man drowning was received by the Placer County Emergency Dispatch. Whale Beach is a secluded beach between Skunk Harbor and Chimney Beach.
A medical boat was dispatched and located the victim with a group of his friends. The victim was swimming in Lake Tahoe and began to struggle and was underwater water for several minutes according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office. He was taken to the beach and medics from the North Lake Fire Protection District arrived and attempted to resuscitate the victim.
Despite their extensive efforts, the victim died.
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division and Coroner’s Office responded to complete the death investigation. The victim was transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for examination.
The name and hometown of the victim is being withheld until he is officially identified, and his family is notified.