Prom King Mystery: 17-Year-Old Iowa Athlete Drowns In Shallow Water

What started as a fun day at the lake for one recent Iowa high school prom king and graduate soon turned into a tragedy.

On Wednesday, 17-year-old Ayden Beeson was swimming in Rathbun Lake in Moravia when he suddenly vanished beneath the shallow water. According to a news release from the Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook, the Appanoose County Law Center received a 911 call from someone at 6:13 p.m. about a possible drowning. They said the teenager just “went under the water and had not resurfaced.” Police immediately raced over to the scene with a rescue crew. Unfortunately, it was not until over an hour later that the Appanoose County Water Rescue found his body in around 15 to 20 feet of water. He was pronounced dead at the scene. So, so sad…

The sheriff’s office noted an investigation into Ayden’s death is ongoing. And there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered in this case! Like, was he with anyone at the lake? Who called 911? How did he suddenly drown in shallow water? All of that is one big mystery at this time.

It’s heartbreaking what happened to Ayden, though. He was so young. The teenager was recently crowned the prom king at Centerville High School, where he played middle linebacker on the football team. He also played tennis. The school addressed his death after the news broke, saying:

“Students and staff recognized that Ayden was a genuinely kind person who treated every student and staff member with respect. Words cannot express the depth of the sadness felt by the school community in this horrible tragedy.”

His tennis coach, Tyler Blaze, paid tribute to Ayden, noting he was the only Big Red Tennis player nowadays to place in the top six in conference all four years of school. He added:

“On top of being a great athlete his best quality was him just being him. Ayden was the kid every teacher and coach loves. He was such a kind and compassionate kid and gave you everything he had in the classroom and field/court. I’m am thankful for getting the opportunity to know such a person.”

Our hearts go out to Ayden’s loved ones following this tragedy. We hope they will get answers soon about what happened to him. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image via Ayden Beeson/Instagram]