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

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read

A massive search is underway for a missing FGCU student. The search started around 7 p.m. on Wednesday (Aug. 23) with multiple agencies from Lee County swarming the scene in an effort to locate the student.

According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, it is a male.

LCSO said the student was last scene falling from a private boat that came from the Miromar Lakes side of Lake Como, which is shared by FGCU. The lake is on the north end of campus near the North Village housing complex.

Until the missing student is found, the details of why and how this happened remains a mystery. A cause of death, or even a death, has not been confirmed as of Thursday (Aug. 24) morning.

An FGCU student named Joel Johnson of Lauderhill, Florida was found dead in Lake Como in June of 2011. The 21-year-old English major died during a late-night swim in the lake after hours. According to a Naples Daily News story published on Aug. 26, 2011, the Lee County Sheriff's Office received a call about the drowning at 1:03 a.m. Johnson was swimming with other students that night.

The district medical examiner's report for Lee County ruled the cause of death was drowning and the manner of death an accident.

A small memorial has been placed on a beach at FGCU where two children 12 and under drowned Monday. A university statement said the beach is not intended for public use and there are no swimming signs alerting to a sharp drop-off by the water's edge.
A small memorial has been placed on a beach at FGCU where two children 12 and under drowned Monday. A university statement said the beach is not intended for public use and there are no swimming signs alerting to a sharp drop-off by the water's edge.

2022 drowning in Lake Como: Two children found dead

More recently, in July of 2022, two people who drowned in Lake Como. A 12 year old and a 7 year old, who were vacationing from Atlanta. In that case it was reported that the FGCU beach property along Lake Como is for students only and not open for public use.

It was unknown if the children had a connection to anyone at FGCU.

The site is promoted in campus literature: "How many boast a lakefront beach on campus where you can kick back in a lounge chair or launch a standup paddleboard?"

Then FGCU President Mike Martin issued a statement about the incident:  "Yesterday we experienced a tragic event on campus as two children drowned in Lake Como (North Lake Village). Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family, and we thank the first responders from several agencies for their heroic efforts."

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU's Lake Como has been the scene of previous drownings