Tarpon Springs: A 22-year-old Zephyrhills man who went missing while test-driving a boat on Lake Tarpon was found dead Sunday morning, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were first called to Lansbrook Lakefront Park, located at 3600 Lakefront Drive in Palm Harbor, at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2026, after an unoccupied 18-foot Carolina Skiff was found drifting in Lake Tarpon near Juniper Bay.
Detectives learned the vessel had been undergoing engine repairs at Boat and Motor Supercenters, located at 36851 U.S. Highway 19 North.
A business employee, 22-year-old David Christopher Wilson Jr., left the boat at about 5:15 p.m. to conduct a test drive but never returned.
Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office Flight Unit conducted an aerial search of Lake Tarpon but could not locate Wilson. Marine Unit deputies continued searching throughout the evening before concluding operations at approximately 11 p.m.
Search and recovery efforts resumed Saturday morning with assistance from East Lake Fire Rescue, Palm Harbor Fire Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Crews searched throughout the day but did not locate Wilson.
Recovery operations resumed again Sunday, September 27.
At approximately 7:12 a.m., a boater located Wilson on the Lake. He was deceased, and his body was recovered from Lake Tarpon.
Investigators said the incident appears to have been accidental.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
Wilson’s next of kin has been notified.
The investigation continues.
