Father and 4-year-old son killed in boating incident, officials say

WWSB ABC7 News at 6pm
Published: Apr. 16, 2024 at 10:03 PM CDT
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MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB/Gray News) - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the deaths of two people who were found in a Manatee County lake.

Wildlife officials said they responded Saturday to a call for a single vessel boating incident on Ward Lake. When Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials arrived, they found one person dead in the water near a boat.

On Monday, officials found a second person dead in the water in the same area where the first body was discovered.

The victims were identified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as 36-year-old Wayne Raber and his 4-year-old son Josiah Raber, both of Wilmot, Ohio.

The investigation is ongoing, but officials said they are no longer searching Ward Lake.