Following an incident at a Texas lake involving the drowning of a high school swimmer, authorities have detained two teenagers who are accused of discarding his belongings.
Eighteen-year-old Daniel Erving, a distinguished swimmer and honor roll student, tragically lost his life after he and two friends leaped off a railroad bridge into Lake Ray Hubbard, located in the eastern suburbs of Dallas.
Four days post-incident, Erving’s body was retrieved from the lake. A medical examiner confirmed that the cause of death was accidental drowning.
According to the Dallas Police Department, Lucas Roper, 19, along with a 17-year-old juvenile, allegedly neglected to report their friend’s tragic demise and subsequently disposed of Erving’s clothing and cellphone.
The Dallas police informed ABC News on a Monday that both individuals were taken into custody and face third-degree felony charges for tampering with physical evidence.
After the teen drowned, Roper and the juvenile fled the scene, and Roper allegedly threw Erving’s clothing into a tree line near the bridge, according to an arrest affidavit seen by the outlet.
The juvenile also threw Erving’s cellphone from the vehicle on Roper’s orders, the affidavit alleges.
Roper allegedly deleted communications with Erving from his cellphone because he “was aware that there would be an investigation into Daniel Erving’s death and he did not want to get into trouble,” the affidavit states.
Roper allegedly admitted he “panicked” after Erving drowned during a voluntary interview with detectives.
The case remains under investigation.