The Tempe Police Department has confirmed that the individual discovered at the bottom of Tempe Town Lake on Thursday was Elijah Province, a 20-year-old student of Arizona State University. The tragic outcome followed an incident on Wednesday night, when Province reportedly entered the water around 9:30 p.m. and failed to surface.
Following reports from witnesses of a man entering the lake, emergency services initiated a search, deploying both dive teams and an underwater drone. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the underwater drone located Province’s body before divers could resume their efforts in the daytime on August 15. Fire officials and police were on the scene and, have commenced an investigation into the incident, treating it as a presumed suicide.
Tempe Town Lake has seen this type of incident occur more than once this year. Prior to Province's death, two other drownings were reported. Michael Reyes, 47, drowned on June 18 after being seen swimming in the lake, followed by the recovery of another man's body on June 21. Swimming in the lake is against city regulations, as per the official Tempe website.
Authorities, as per information obtained by 12News, have identified the deceased person as Province and indicated that further investigation into the matter will follow, as standard protocol for such incidents. The use of an underwater drone in this context, represents increasing reliance on technology to aid in search and rescue operations. As community members of Tempe grapple with the news of another young life gone too soon, officials continue to caution against unauthorized swimming in the lake.
