CALIFORNIA MAN DROWNS IN LAKE MOHAVE

[Andrew...@nps.gov]

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA News Release

For Immediate Release: Sept. 13, 2009
Release No.: 2009-54
Contact: Andrew S. Muñoz, 702-293-8691

CALIFORNIA MAN DROWNS IN LAKE MOHAVE

SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. – The National Park Service with the assistance of divers
from Las Vegas Metro Police have recovered the body of Derek Au, 45, of
California who drowned this morning in Lake Mohave.

The drowning was reported to the National Park Service at 11:33 a.m. by
Cottonwood Cove Resort staff who overheard a distress call made on marine
band radio VHF channel 16.

Park rangers arrived on-scene and began their search of the area at about
12:30 p.m. Divers from Las Vegas Metro Police were called in and they
recovered his body in about 35-feet of water at 5:30 p.m.

Au was with his family on a houseboat in Mesa Cove on Lake Mohave. The
houseboat was beached and Au’s 11-year-old daughter was in the water in an
inflatable raft.

Witnesses say that the wind started to carry the raft away from the boat.
That’s when Au jumped in the water without a life jacket to swim after his
daughter. He made it about 50-60 feet from the boat when he went
underwater and didn’t resurface.

Another family member was able to reach the girl and bring her back to the
boat.

This is the eleventh drowning the recreation area this year. All but two
drowning victims were not wearing life jackets.

According to U.S. Coast Guard boating accident statistics released last
month, over two-thirds of fatal boating accident victims drowned, 90
percent of them were not wearing life jackets.

His body has been turned over to the Clark County Coroner’s Office. Next
of kin have been notified. Au is from the Los Angeles area; the exact city
is not yet confirmed.

- NPS -

LOCATION OF INCIDENT:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.391079,+-114.645810
&sll=35.390974,-114.633665&sspn=0.01249,0.028496
&ie=UTF8&ll=35.401364,-114.66156&spn=0.271451,0.87616&t=h&z=11