Authorities search for two missing men in apparent drowning in Polk County lake

The afternoon boat ride was supposed to be a time for joy. To celebrate their one-year anniversary, Winter Haven couple Velcky Velasquez, 38, and her boyfriend Orlando Ortiz, 30, rented a boat Saturday with a friend and his two daughters and headed into the middle of Lake Eloise in central Polk County, a lake that shares part of its shoreline with Legoland.

But more than 24 hours later, search and rescue crews were still looking for Ortiz and their friend, Jeffrey Marrero, who are presumed to have drowned.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, Marrero’s 10-year old daughter dialed 911 and said she and her sister, 8, were alone on the boat. Two Polk County deputies headed to the nearby Lake Summit boat ramp, knowing there is no public access to Lake Eloise, according to a news release.

As they arrived they spotted a man putting his fishing boat into the water and asked for assistance in finding the children. He transported the deputies from Lake Summit and through the canal to Lake Eloise, according to the release.

The deputies, Glenda Eichholtz and Jonathan Munoz found Velasquez, treading water in the lake. She said she had jumped in with the anchor to secure it to the boat. But due to the wind and heavy waves, the 16-foot boat began floating away.

They also discovered the two sisters adrift on the boat, surrounded by a two-foot chop.

Both men were missing.

Ortiz and Marrero — who, Velasquez told deputies, are not strong swimmers — had jumped into the water to help her. The men went underwater, she told the deputies. With the two girls onboard, meanwhile, the boat continued to drift.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Sunday morning that the couple had taken a class on boating safety before leaving shore but were inexperienced boaters.

The Sherriff’s Marine Unit was working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Seminole County deputies and deploying an underwater drone to search Lake Eloise, Judd said.

The lake has been closed to the public in the meantime as the search continues.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.