A high school king mysteriously drowned in a shallow lake just weeks after graduating.
Ayden Beeson, 17, was swimming at a beach at Rathbun Lake in Moravia, Iowa, on Wednesday when he suddenly disappeared underwater.
Someone else at the lake called 911 at 6:13 p.m. and police rushed to the scene of the accident near the Buck Creek Campground, but there was no sign of him.
Appanoose County Water Rescue found his body at 7:33 p.m. in just 15 to 20 feet of water and pulled him from the lake. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ayden Beeson, 17, was voted prom king by his classmates at Centerville High School weeks before he mysteriously drowned in a lake
Ayden also played middle linebacker on the school football team
It is unknown how Ayden got into trouble in the water unnoticed, who he was with and who called 911.
Ayden was voted prom king by his classmates at Centerville High School, where he played middle linebacker on the football team.
“Students and staff saw that Ayden was a genuinely kind person who treated every student and staff member with respect,” the school said.
“Words cannot describe the depth of grief felt by the school community at this terrible tragedy.”
How Ayden got into trouble in the water unnoticed, who he was with and who called 911 is unknown
Ayden was swimming at a beach in Lake Rathbun in Moravia, Iowa, on Wednesday when he suddenly disappeared underwater
Ayden also played tennis and his coach Tyler Blaze said he was the only Big Red Tennis player in the modern era to be ranked in the top six in the conference all four years of high school.
“Besides being a great athlete, his best quality was just being himself. Ayden was the kid every teacher and coach loves,” he said.
“He was such a kind and compassionate kid and gave you everything he had in the classroom and on the field/court. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to know such a person.”
The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Iowa State Medical Examiner, is investigating Ayden’s drowning.