Camas police say boy, 14, drowned at Lacamas Lake

Emergency responders Tuesday night recovered the body of a 14-year-old boy from Lacamas Lake after he apparently drowned.

The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the boy Wednesday afternoon as Anthony T. Huynh, of Vancouver.

The medical examiner ruled Huynh’s death an accidental drowning.

Camas police were dispatched to the lake at 6:08 p.m. for a welfare check. Arriving officers spoke with a group of boys who said they had not seen their friend for about an hour, according to a Camas Police Department news release.

The group arrived at the lake around 4 p.m. and had been swimming and jumping off a foot bridge into the water. Police noted the area is a popular swimming spot at the 315-acre reservoir just north of Camas.

“The group of boys reported not seeing or remembering their friend come out of the water. They didn’t know if he was playing around with them, and they went on a search for him,” police said. 

After about an hour, one of the boys called 911.

Huynh’s belongings were still on the foot bridge when officers arrived, and there was nothing to suggest he went home or left with others, according to the police department.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and Dive and Rescue Team, the Multnomah County Dive Team and the Camas-Washougal Fire Department responded and searched the lake for several hours.

Divers entered the water around 9:23 p.m. and located Huynh’s body within minutes.