Officials: 9-year-old’s body found days after falling off boat, hit by propeller

LAKE ANNIE, Fla. (Gray News) – Officials in Florida say the body of a missing 9-year-old boy was found Tuesday after he reportedly fell off a pontoon boat and was hit by a propeller.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports it started searching for the boy at Lake Annie after he fell from a boat on Nov. 26.

Authorities said the boy was with his two brothers on their father’s pontoon when he fell over the front side of the boat and was struck by the boat’s propeller.

According to the sheriff’s office, the child’s father jumped into the water to search for his son while one of the other boys called 911.

Deputies and first responders arrived at Lake Annie that afternoon and immediately put boats and rescue crews in the water to look for the boy.

The sheriff’s office said it continued its search into Tuesday before finding the boy’s body and notifying the family.

“It’s a tragedy, an unimaginable nightmare for the family,” Sheriff Grady Judd shared in a news release.

The boy was reportedly not wearing a flotation device when he fell into the water but was not required to wear one.

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