Authorities have released a tragic update on the condition of an 18-year-old star athlete who went missing while on a canoe trip with a friend last weekend. Fox 13 reported.
After a 14-hour search, authorities in Lake McLeod, Fla., found Aaron Tillman's body shortly after 5 a.m. Monday morning, the Polk County Sheriff's Office announced in a video posted to Facebook. He was found in a body of water about 13 feet deep.
Tillman, a Winter Haven High School football player and wrestler, went missing around 3 p.m. Sunday while on a canoe trip with an unidentified 19-year-old woman. Neither Tillman nor his friend were wearing life jackets, the sheriff's office said. Tillman's family later told authorities he did not know how to swim and had never been in a canoe before, to their knowledge.
“The woman told officers she jumped out of the kayak into the water to swim, but when she resurfaced, she saw Tillman in the water and struggling to stay afloat,” the sheriff's office said. “She told detectives she did not know if Tillman fell in or entered the water on purpose. Despite the efforts of the woman and a nearby witness who entered the water to help, Tillman disappeared into the water.”
Tillman's coaches and teammates on Ambassadors Christian Academy's wrestling and football teams expressed their sadness at the loss of their friend, whom they hailed as a talented and respectful young man.
“He was a very respectful, honorable kid,” football coach Eryk Anglin said. Miami Herald about the youngster. “He never talked back, he always tried to get the team to listen to the coaches. He didn't deserve this.”
Anglin later said: WFTs “It's tough on all of us. The coaches, the players, the school. We're all going to miss Aaron.”
A GoFundMe launched in Tillman's name aims to raise money to help his family with funeral and posthumous expenses.