29-Year-Old Drowns on Lake Shasta
Lake Shasta [Photo By Triddle at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Off2riorob using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, ]
On Saturday, July 26, 2025, at approximately 1:20 PM, Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Unit, the Dive Team, CAL FIRE, United States Forest Service, medical personnel, and California Highway Patrol Air Operations all responded to the area of the Hirz Bay Boat Ramp to a report of a possible drowning.
Upon arrival, deputies learned that a 29-year-old male had been swimming approximately 30-40 feet offshore while towing an inflatable kayak with two people on board. Witnesses say the man began struggling, called out for help, and went under water. Witnesses searched for him but, due to the murkiness of the water, were not able to locate him. The two people on board the watercraft were not injured and made their way safely to shore.
Dive Team members were able to locate the victim approximately 2 and a half hours later in approximately 11 feet of water. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Next of kin were notified and the victim has been identified as 29-year-old Luis Cornejo-Paz, of Concord, CA.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all of the allied agencies that assisted in this incident, and we offer our condolences to the loved ones of the victim.
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Another day of fun on the water turns tragic. My sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends. May he RIP. Thank you so much for the first responders who searched so hard to find Mr. Luis Cornejo-Paz. I am sure the dive team was saddened when they located him deceased.
sounds like a shark pulled him under then his lungs filled with water. i would never swim there until it’s caught!!
There are no sharks in Shasta Lake… but there are tales of man eating sturgeon in Shasta Lake….
None of those either.
OK, thanks for an example of exactly the kind of terrible comment that Farce and I are trying to avoid. Farce is doing better than me. I’m resisting age-related anger at the apparent self-inflicted collapse of America, which my family has loved since Day One. But bitterness is no excuse for cruelty.
Considering the man died your comment is not very nice.
How does someone drown on a lake, rather than in it? Just wondering …
He was in the lake when he disappeared beneath the water and could not be located.
The headline is using “on” to mean “while on the lake” Headline shorthand.
I know there is a rush by some to be witty and cute, but he was towing an inflatable kayak with two people aboard when he ran in to trouble and went under. It’s quite likely he was towing young family members who witnessed his struggle. Regardless, those on the kayak were unable to help him and will have vivid memories of his struggle.
I was thinking the same thing how terrible condolences to all involved
PSA Folks need to remember the water can be incredibly cold, even in summer. Extended time in the water reduces the body’s core temperature. That can cause a sudden arrhythmia. A few bad beats can start a full cardiac arrest. Life jackets are not super glamorous yet, in the event of an arrhythmia it may save your life. RIP and sorry for the families loss. Sad.