# North Texas Business Owner Says His Cameras Captured Teen and Suspects Before Fatal Lake Ray Hubbard Drowning
**Surveillance footage adds new layer to investigation into Daniel Erving’s death as family pushes for full accountability**
A North Texas business owner says his security cameras recorded footage of 18-year-old Daniel Erving and the two teenagers who were with him in the hours before his drowning at Lake Ray Hubbard, a revelation that has intensified scrutiny of a case that has already drawn accusations of delayed justice and evidence tampering.
The business owner, who says he reviewed the footage after learning of Erving’s death, described himself as deeply troubled by what he saw, adding fuel to a controversy that has consumed the Rowlett and Dallas communities for nearly three months. His account comes just days after Dallas Police arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the case and as Erving’s grieving family unveiled a private legal team to conduct its own independent investigation.
## A Fishing Trip That Ended in Tragedy
According to investigators, ,Erving was picked up by friends to go fishing on the lake, and his family said that after he left home, he never returned., The Sachse High School senior was, by all accounts, an exceptional young man — ,a member of the swim team and an honor-roll student.,
An arrest affidavit later filed by Dallas Police laid out a chilling sequence of events. ,The document claims Erving, Lucas Roper, and a 17-year-old boy jumped into the lake from a bridge on April 13 near Miller Road in Rowlett., ,Erving drowned, and his body was recovered days later, on April 17., ,The investigation began that day when Dallas Fire-Rescue and Dallas police responded to a report of a body floating near Marina Vista in Rowlett; a water rescue team recovered the remains, later identified as Erving through an autopsy, with the medical examiner ruling the death a drowning.,
Rather than seeking help or alerting authorities, investigators say the two young men who were with Erving fled the scene and attempted to erase evidence of what had happened. ,According to the affidavit, Roper and the 17-year-old threw Erving’s clothes into a tree line near the bridge above the water before driving away in Roper’s vehicle, and the pair also threw Erving’s cell phone out of the car., ,Investigators allege the two stopped the vehicle away from the scene and discarded the cellphone into a ditch specifically to prevent it from being recovered.,
## Suspect Admits Deleting Communications
When detectives eventually caught up with Roper, he reportedly admitted to far more than simply leaving the scene. ,During a voluntary interview, Roper allegedly admitted he “panicked” after Erving drowned and that he and the juvenile fled, later admitting he deleted all communications with Erving from his cellphone because he “was aware that there would be an investigation into Daniel Erving’s death and he did not want to get into trouble.”, ,Detectives who later examined Roper’s phone confirmed those communications had in fact been deleted.,
,Jail records confirmed that the Dallas Police Department arrested Roper on July 9, charging him with tampering with evidence tied to Erving’s death, and he was granted a $10,000 bond., Days later, authorities confirmed a second arrest. ,Roper, 19, and a juvenile suspect are each charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony, police said.,
Dallas Police spokesperson Erika M. Brown addressed the case in a statement, saying detectives had conducted a comprehensive review before seeking warrants. ,Brown said that during the investigation, detectives identified evidence that two individuals present at the lake failed to report the incident and later discarded items belonging to Erving, resulting in arrest warrants for both Roper and the juvenile, each charged with tampering with physical evidence.,
## Family Demands Answers, Launches Independent Probe
For Erving’s relatives, the arrests have done little to quiet their frustration with how the case was handled from the outset. Community advocacy groups have stood alongside the family throughout the ordeal. ,Since Daniel’s death, North Texas groups Next Generation Action Network and Justice Seekers have worked with the Erving family, pushing for transparency, with NGAN founder Dominique Alexander writing in an open letter that the family believes the urgency they requested was not met during the critical early stages of the investigation.,
Family members have also raised pointed questions about the response from Rowlett police in the days Erving was missing. ,Daniel’s mother said Rowlett police told her they were unable to ping her son’s phone until after his body was recovered due to privacy laws, and family members have questioned what they describe as a delay in notifying the public that he was missing., Alexander was blunt in his assessment of the early response, saying ,”Daniel left home with somebody, went out there to Ray Hubbard Lake with somebody, but nobody called his mother … nor called 911,” adding the family has “been met with delays, instead of accountability.”,
With criminal charges now limited to tampering with evidence, the family has moved to take matters into its own hands. ,Daredia Law announced its firm would facilitate an independent investigation into Daniel’s death on behalf of the family., The firm did not mince words about the current state of accountability in the case. ,”Nearly three months later, the only charge arising from his death is tampering with evidence,” the firm said, adding that “the family and its attorneys are calling for accountability and a complete investigation that follows the evidence wherever it leads.”,
## Investigation Continues
Both Rowlett and Dallas police departments have declined to discuss specifics while the case remains open. ,Rowlett PD told reporters it cannot discuss the details of the case while the investigation is ongoing, and Dallas Police also did not comment on the pending investigation.,
Legal observers note that the tampering charges against Roper and the juvenile carry significant weight even though they do not directly address how Erving came to drown. ,Under Section 37.09 of the Texas Penal Code, most tampering cases are treated as third-degree felonies, and legal analysts note prosecutors often look closely at the timing of a suspect’s actions — such as deleting messages or hiding clothing — to prove the intent required under the statute., ,Roper’s case will now move through the Dallas County court system as investigators continue combing through phone records, interviews and physical evidence, while advocates say they plan to keep pushing for transparency as the family seeks clarity on how the case was handled in the days following the drowning.,
The revelation of surveillance footage capturing Erving and the two teens is expected to become a focal point of the family’s independent investigation, as attorneys work to determine whether the video corroborates — or contradicts — the account suspects gave to detectives. For now, the Erving family and their supporters say they will not stop pressing for full transparency until every question surrounding Daniel’s final hours is answered.
As the case continues to unfold, Dallas Headlines will provide updates as new developments emerge in the investigation into Daniel Erving’s death.