First responders have halted the active search for 17-year-old Nathan Lowery, who disappeared on Saturday after becoming separated from his younger brother while on an inflatable raft in Galveston Bay. Lowery’s 16-year-old brother was safely rescued, and their unmanned raft was subsequently discovered approximately 15 miles away in Trinity Bay. Authorities have shifted the focus from a rescue operation to a recovery mission, set to resume at dawn on Sunday.
On Saturday morning, Lowery and his brother launched their inflatable raft into Galveston Bay around 5:30 AM, departing from a location about three miles out on the Texas City Dike, as reported by Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Tumbleson.
It has been reported that the brothers either jumped from or fell off the raft, leading to their separation in the water. The Texas City Fire Department’s Marine Unit successfully rescued the 16-year-old, who was assessed by paramedics and found to be in good health.
By 6:15 PM, officials reported the transition of the operation from a search and rescue mission to a recovery effort, following a U.S. Coast Guard flight crew’s discovery of the unmanned raft about 15 miles north of the dike in Trinity Bay, near Baytown. As of Saturday evening, Nathan Lowery remained unaccounted for.
The search involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Texas City Fire Department, Galveston Police Marine Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, and volunteers from Texas EquuSearch. Most agencies suspended their active operations on Saturday evening, with recovery efforts set to resume at first light on Sunday, according to Tumbleson.
Texas EquuSearch has collaborated with the Texas City Police Department and other organizations in the search efforts. Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding Lowery’s whereabouts to reach out to the Texas City Police Department at (409) 948-2525 or contact Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500.
