Man drowns in Ute Lake trying to rescue son

An Oklahoma man drowned at Ute Lake State Park in Logan on Saturday afternoon while trying to rescue his 11-year-old son who was struggling in the waters. A good Samaritan saved the child.

Sebastian Perez-Gonzales, 36, of Guymon, Oklahoma, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:47 p.m. Saturday by the Office of the Medical Examiner about 30 minutes after he failed to resurface in the lake.

According to a New Mexico State Police news release, Perez-Gonzales’ son was in the lake in an inner tube near the park’s Cottonwood Campground when the tube flipped over.

As the boy struggled to stay afloat, Perez-Gonzales swam toward him.

“When Gonzales reached the child, a good Samaritan in the area heard Gonzales yelling for help and observed him and the child struggling to stay afloat,” the release stated.

“The good Samaritan was able to get close to the both of them and throw them a flotation device. The child was eventually rescued and dragged to safety. Gonzalez went underwater and did not resurface.”

Park rangers found and retrieved Perez-Gonzales’ body a short time later.

The child was treated and released at the scene by emergency medical personnel.

New Mexico State Police are investigating the incident.