LA Daily News: Mystery over Texas boating death of TCU student finally unravels

[TopFrog]

What happened to Jack? Mystery over Texas boating death of OC teen finally unravels years later​

Tony Saavedra, Los Angeles Daily News

From the moment Jack Elliott tumbled from the bow of a 22-foot boat into the darkness of a Texas lake, “extreme hysteria” gripped the college friends who had ventured out for a day of revelry on the water.

And in their panic, the teens hatched a plan to hide the truth from authorities and even Jack’s family in Newport Beach.

It would take 10 days to recover Jack’s body at a depth of more than 100 feet, and two years to fully unravel what actually happened that day on Lake Travis outside Austin.

Jack, 19, was among 12 teenagers, nearly all from Texas Christian University – and several from Southern California – who climbed onto the Axis A22 vessel in October 2019 for an afternoon of wakeboarding and drinking. Nearly all of the 18- and 19-year-old students had been sipping vodka, beer and White Claw hard seltzer as they ventured near Devil’s Cove, considered one of the most prolific floating party places in the country.

Read more at https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/w...teen-finally-unravels-years-later/ar-AA10oOka

 

[namollec]

Such sadness. And heartbreak.

Didn't know about this when it happened.
Can only feel for those parents and the lives ruined.
Sadness.

 

[matmoo123]

Painful article and should probably be required reading and discussion material for every teen and parent. We’ve all done stupid stuff and it only takes a second to see the whole world spiral.

 

[Frogs1983]

Really sad article. Life is precious. the older I get , the more I realize it.

 

[tcudoc]

Terribly sad story.

 

[HToady]

I would be curious, what greek affiliations did these kids have? If anyone knows

 

[froginmn]

I would be curious, what greek affiliations did these kids have? If anyone knows

I have no idea why that would matter.

The story, though, describes them as freshmen and this happened in October so if they were involved with the Greek system they would have been new pledges.

 

[HToady]

I have no idea why that would matter.

The story, though, describes them as freshmen and this happened in October so if they were involved with the Greek system they would have been new pledges.

I am curious, if they were, wouldn't the Greek leadership take an active role if a pledge / member dies tragically while at school, even if it occurred off campus and not affiliated by the fraternity or sorority. What about TCU, did they take an active role in contacting the parents, I know they did in the past? It took 10 days to retrieve this kids body, so I assume all of his friends, just walked away? A lot of this story seems to be missing

 

[froginmn]

I am curious, if they were, wouldn't the Greek leadership take an active role if a pledge / member dies tragically while at school, even if it occurred off campus and not affiliated by the fraternity or sorority. What about TCU, did they take an active role in contacting the parents, I know they did in the past? It took 10 days to retrieve this kids body, so I assume all of his friends, just walked away? A lot of this story seems to be missing

I assume that if a fraternity member or pledge died, several of the other members and pledges would attend the funeral, and the fraternity might send flowers.

They wouldn't have any role in investigating the death or any other aspect, though. And the authorities, who met the kids at the marina and questioned them, would be the ones to notify the family. The body wasn't found for ten days but it sounds as though it was known that he died.

 

[DeuceBoogieNights]

I am curious, if they were, wouldn't the Greek leadership take an active role if a pledge / member dies tragically while at school, even if it occurred off campus and not affiliated by the fraternity or sorority. What about TCU, did they take an active role in contacting the parents, I know they did in the past? It took 10 days to retrieve this kids body, so I assume all of his friends, just walked away? A lot of this story seems to be missing

The article says the parents were contacted by the police. Your questions are answered in the article...

 

[Chongo94]

I grew up on a lake. Learned about boats and boating safety before I learned to drive. I, and when my friends were out with me, didn’t scheiss around out there.

I made sure to watch the alcohol intake of everyone and was quick to call people out for acting the scheiss up while on the boat if it made things dangerous.

And we NEVER, at least in a big party group, went out in the boat on the lake after dark. Lots of bad scheiss to go around among these individuals it would appear.

 

[froginmn]

I grew up on a lake. Learned about boats and boating safety before I learned to drive. I, and when my friends were out with me, didn’t scheiss around out there.

I made sure to watch the alcohol intake of everyone and was quick to call people out for acting the scheiss up while on the boat if it made things dangerous.

And we NEVER, at least in a big party group, went out in the boat on the lake after dark. Lots of bad scheiss to go around among these individuals it would appear.

Twelve people seems a lot on a 22 foot boat, also.

 

[HToady]

Is it reasonable to assume that all of these kids ended up elsewhere, other than TCU? Since they have now been charged, is it reasonable to assume that these kids have been shown the door?

 

[Atom]

Another version of the story with pics

Student was allegedly pushed into lake by girlfriend before he died

Jack Elliott, 19, a Texas Christian University freshman was allegedly pushed off a boat by a girl he was flirting with while out on a lake near Austin in October 2019.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Chongo94]

Twelve people seems a lot on a 22 foot boat, also.

Right??

 

[TCUdirtbag]

Is it reasonable to assume that all of these kids ended up elsewhere, other than TCU? Since they have now been charged, is it reasonable to assume that these kids have been shown the door?

Your line of questioning is at best super tacky.

 

[HToady]

Your line of questioning is at best super tacky.

Gee IDK, just looking for somebody with a conscience in this whole sorted story...

 

[Eight]

Right??

still trying to understand on a boat that size w that many people only one person saw what actually happened between the two

was everyone else in the back of the boat? passed out? this story even now makes as much sense as the natalie wood stories.

 

[OICU812]

I grew up on a lake. Learned about boats and boating safety before I learned to drive. I, and when my friends were out with me, didn’t scheiss around out there.

I made sure to watch the alcohol intake of everyone and was quick to call people out for acting the scheiss up while on the boat if it made things dangerous.

And we NEVER, at least in a big party group, went out in the boat on the lake after dark. Lots of bad scheiss to go around among these individuals it would appear.

Ditto. I’ve seen soooo many idiots on the water whose only qualification for running a boat was being able to write a check. I’ve been through several emergency situations not of my making safely, all because of that Boy Scout merit badge.
Boats should be regulated just like cars, imho.

 

[Chongo94]

still trying to understand on a boat that size w that many people only one person saw what actually happened between the two

was everyone else in the back of the boat? passed out? this story even now makes as much sense as the natalie wood stories.

Agreed. You have to think that surely someone other than that one girl driving saw what happened and just isn’t speaking up yet. Course it was dark….would like to know what type of boat they were on and where or what lights they were running, if any.

Ditto. I’ve seen soooo many idiots on the water whose only qualification for running a boat was being able to write a check. I’ve been through several emergency situations not of my making safely, all because of that Boy Scout merit badge.
Boats should be regulated just like cars, imho.

Right?? I thankfully have never had any close calls that you have had but I was always aware of the potential. Even when I was in high school, if I were on a section of our lake and I thought there was a boat operator or jet ski people being a little too reckless, I’d up and move our group to a different section.

I was maybe overly cautious but living on a lake just makes you so I think, or at least far more aware of how actual/real the danger can be.

And we all still had fun. My friends never had a bad time, they just knew not to act like total idiots on the boat. And I knew, as the operator, not to be an idiot as well.