19-year-old drowns in Indian Lake

19-year-old Alvis Jordan from Sherwood drowned in Indian Lake Saturday evening. Lonoke County Sheriff's deputies say Jordan went into the water to cool off and never resurfaced.

Jordan's body is now at the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy to help explain why he died. The owner of Indian Lake, Robert Dougherty says it's an absolute tragedy. "It's something I'll never forget. He was 19-years-old, and had his whole life ahead of him."

Lonoke County Sheriff's deputies say Jordan spent several hours working on his car changing 2 flat tires when he went into the water to cool off. They say he and his friends tried to swim to a raft in the middle of the lake. That's when Jordan went under and didn't come back up.

Cpt. Dwayne Boswell with the Cabot Fire Department says swimming can be an extremely strenuous activity. "People don't realize if they're dehydrated they're going to cramp up."

Cpt. Boswell says the water temperature changes drastically from the surface at the shore to the depths of the middle of the lake. "There are a lot of snags and lots of debris on the bottom of the lake."

Dougherty says this could have easily happened to anyone, and his heart goes out to Jordan's family and his friends. He understands they won't be able to look at this lake without thinking of Jordan. "He came here all the time and he was an excellent swimmer."

Rescue crews say it's possible Jordan could have suffered from heat exhaustion and the cold temperature of the water maybe sent his body into shock. It could be take weeks before the State Crime Lab has any answers.

This is not the first drowning at Indian Lake. A 9-year-old boy died about 26 years ago trying to swim from one side of the lake to the other. The dive team says while it looks like a short distance, the change in temperature from near the shore to the middle of the lake is drastic and can easily affect the body.