An 18-year-old Dallas-area high school senior and swim team member drowned in Lake Ray Hubbard in April after jumping from a railroad bridge into the water below. ,He surfaced once and called out for help before going under and never resurfacing., Now his family is demanding answers and pushing for a deeper investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
,The investigation began on April 17 when Dallas Fire-Rescue and Dallas police responded to a report of a body floating in Lake Ray Hubbard near Marina Vista in Rowlett. A water rescue team recovered the body which was later identified as Daniel Erving through an autopsy conducted by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office.,
,Erving was last seen around 4:45 p.m. on April 13 after leaving his Rowlett home. His family reported his disappearance after he left with only his cellphone and without his driver’s license or money.,
,The medical examiner noted that police interviewed those who were with Erving and concluded that despite initial suspicions there are no current suspicions of foul play., The official ruling classified his death as an accidental drowning.
,Authorities arrested two individuals in connection with the case. Lucas Roper age 19 and a 16-year-old juvenile face evidence tampering charges after the autopsy report revealed the pair disposed of Erving’s belongings and failed to report the incident to authorities. As a result Erving’s body was not found until four days after he drowned.,
Police say Roper admitted to panicking after Erving went under. Investigators say he deleted all communications with Erving from his phone and discarded his clothing. ,Both Roper and the juvenile suspect were charged with tampering with physical evidence a third-degree felony.,
Erving’s mother Tameka Erving has been vocal about her grief and her doubts. ,”As a mother I knew something was wrong on day one” she said at a news conference., She has publicly questioned why the two individuals who were with her son chose to destroy evidence rather than call for help or notify her that her son was gone.
,Erving’s family is calling for a full murder investigation., High-profile attorney Benjamin Crump has taken up the family’s cause and is pressing authorities to treat this case with greater scrutiny. Crump challenged the public to consider whether they would accept an accidental death ruling if it were their own child.
,The medical examiner’s report leaves open the possibility that the ruling could change stating that should further information come to light in the future the cause or manner of death may be amended.,
Dallas police have stated that detectives continue to evaluate incoming information and will follow the facts wherever they lead. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office has declined to comment citing the pending nature of the case. Attorneys representing Erving’s family have not commented on whether they plan to seek an independent autopsy as part of their push for a separate investigation.