FGCU student's body found in Lake Como day after he fell overboard

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno confirmed Thursday that searchers found the body of a Florida Gulf Coast University student who fell off a crowded boat some 16 hours earlier.

He said low visibility in Lake Como contributed to the difficulty of finding the body of Graham McGrath, 19, in the lake that reaches depths of up to 50 feet.

"We were hoping and praying that we were going to find him in good health," Marceno said. "Unfortunately, that was not the case."

Foul play has not been ruled out, Marceno said, adding that detectives are interviewing the other 13 people from the boat.

He said the boat is a wake boat designed to go slow, but create a wake of 4 to 5 feet.

Graham McGrath mourned: Illinois family remembers FGCU student, 19, found in lake as 'kind, old soul'

He was the only student on the boat, Marceno said. The sheriff's office is leading the death investigation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contributing to the incident investigation.

Pamela McCabe, spokesperson for Florida Gulf Coast University, said the incident happened Wednesday evening at a lake connected to Lake Como, at the university’s North Lake Village. Marceno confirmed he received emergency calls about 7 p.m., prompting a continuous overnight search.

The lake is shared property between the university and the nearby Miromar Lakes living community, McCabe said.

The university's police department, San Carlos Park Fire, Iona McGregor Fire District and FWC joined the search.

"It's near impossible to see anything, other than we utilize our technology, which is a side scan sonar system," Marceno said.

As the search continued mid-morning Thursday, students walked and pedaled past a residence hall on a road winding along the lake. Some of them pulled out cellphones, documenting the events as officials pulled in additional equipment under the partly cloudy skies of a sweltering Florida summer.

Three parents walked by, one of them saying they don’t know the student, but that they were there to support family.

Lake has had history of drowning deaths: Lake Como, near the FGCU campus, has a history of drownings including, a student in 2011

During an 11 p.m. Wednesday press conference, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the sheriff’s office received a call for a missing boater.

The boat was a private vessel with capacity for 16 occupants, Marceno said. Fourteen were aboard. He said the vessel came out of Miromar Lakes through the shared lake.

"At some point, one of the occupants went over the boat," Marceno said.

Divers from the sheriff's office and FWC had been searching the lake. Marceno said they’ve been in contact with McGrath's family. A helicopter also searched the area Wednesday night.

The missing boater's friends gathered Wednesday night around the scene to show their support. They huddled together and waited for news. Other students noticed the commotion in passing.

FGCU is in its second week of classes. The fall semester started Aug. 14.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Body of missing FGCU student Graham McGrath recovered from Lake Como