Lake Highlands High grad Drew Harman and Wildcat senior Jackson Marburger have made plenty of unexpected discoveries while fishing at White Rock Lake, from discarded Igloo coolers to rusty lawn chairs. This morning they found a body.
Harman and Marburger, co-founders of the LHHS Fishing Club, were up early prepping to host this Saturday’s White Rock Fishing Derby. Just before 7 a.m. they saw something at the edge of the water on the west side of the lake near the dog park.
“We were out in the boat and saw him along the bank,” said Harman. “The smell was pretty strong when we got downwind. Police said he had been in the water at least 3 days, maybe 4. He had a rope around his neck, and police told us he may have committed suicide.”
About a dozen police cars responded, along with fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. The dog park is closed while detectives investigate the case.
The guys said they’ve never encountered anything like this in their years at lakes all over Texas, and they expressed sympathy for the man and his family.
“It’s something I’ll always have in my head,” Marburger said.
They also shared appreciation for caring first responders.
“The police officers and paramedics were super cool and really nice,” Harman said. “They were checking on us to make sure we were okay, which was very helpful.”
The guys did not, though, say the incident would keep them off the water.
“I was more shook than troubled – it won’t keep me from fishing,” said Marburger. “We’ll be back out here tomorrow.”