Two girls found drifting alone on boat in Florida lake; adults presumed dead 

Two girls were found drifting alone in a boat on a Florida lake last Saturday after the adults who were with them vanished, according to Polk County Sheriff’s Office. 

The group of people was celebrating the one-year anniversary of Velcky Velasquez and Orlando Ortiz on a rented 16-foot ski boat in Winter Haven lake. However, the three adults were all inexperienced boaters. 

When they were in the middle of the lake, Velasquez, 38, jumped into the water with the anchor and attempted to tie it to the boat. However, two-foot waves and 20 mph winds quickly pushed the boat away, leaving her struggling in the water. 

“The two men jumped into the water to help her. They are not strong swimmers,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Apparently, Ms. Velasquez is a better swimmer. And at some point in time when they can’t catch the boat, Ms. Velasquez says she sees them struggling to stay above the water. She starts to float. The boat is now moving farther away.”

The boat continued to drift across the lake with the two girls—eight and ten years old—onboard until it got caught in some weeds. 

“At 4:12 p.m. ... the 10-year-old daughter of Jeffrey Marrero from Auburndale called 911 to report that she and her 8-year-old sister were alone on a boat on Lake Eloise,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“Deputies Glenda Eichholtz and Jonathan Munoz ... and (a) Good Samaritan found the boat with the two little girls in it. Deputy Munoz got onto that boat and drove them to the nearby Legoland dock. The deputies then found Ms. Velasquez treading water a distance away from the boat.”

Velasquez survived by floating on her back as the boat drifted away, officials said. 

The search is still ongoing for Marrero and Ortiz, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Police believe the two men died while trying to catch the boat.