An Irving man has been identified as the apparent drowning victim in Grapevine Lake from the weekend.
Investigators said the man was on a pontoon boat about 2:30 p.m. Saturday with friends when he either jumped or fell into the water and did not resurface. He was not wearing a life jacket.
Crews from the Flower Mound Fire Department, Grapevine Police Department, Grapevine Dive Team and the Texas Game Warden assisted with the search, which was suspended Saturday night and resumed Sunday morning, according to Brandon Barth, a spokesman for the Flower Mound Fire Department. The man’s body was found about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, close to where he went missing, in the north side of the lake near Bolo Point off of High Road in Flower Mound.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man Monday as Venkatramreddy Velma, 38, of Irving.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for Velma’s family. It says Velma was a doctor and an immigrant, and he leaves behind his wife and two young children. The GoFundMe has a goal of raising $300,000 for Velma’s family, and as of Monday afternoon, more than $72,000 had been donated.
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