Trinity River drowning: Father's body recovered after attempt to rescue son

SAN JACINTO COUNTY, Texas - Authorities have confirmed they have located a father who is believed to have drowned after attempting to save his teenage son and his son's friend, according to law enforcement.

Triple drowning in Trinity River

On Wednesday, the San Jacinto Sheriff's Office confirmed they recovered the body of 53-year-old William Poff.

Poff reportedly jumped into the Trinity River to try and rescue his 14-year-old son and his son's friend who had overturned in a kayak due to choppy river conditions.

What we know:

On Sunday, the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office and Texas Game Wardens responded to the Trinity River south of Lake Livingston Dam at the Camilla boat ramp after calls about a capsized kayak and three missing people.

Witnesses reported two teenagers, 14 and 15, were riding in a kayak when it overturned from choppy river conditions. The father of one of the teenage boys, William Poff, jumped into the water to try to rescue the two teens, but he never resurfaced.

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Polk County Game Wardens recovered the two teenagers, but suspended the search on Sunday evening for the father when he could not be found.

2 teens dead, search continues for missing father in Trinity River

FOX 26 Reporter Jillian Hartmann has the latest on the search.

The video above is from an older report before William Poff was found.

Game wardens and other law enforcement agencies continued searching for the 53-year-old for the next couple of days before he was recovered.

The Texas Game Warden Underwater Search and Recovery Team, Texas State Park Police, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and local first responders assisting with the ongoing search.

Mother reacts to losing son

What they're saying:

Julia Poff, told FOX 26 she is devastated by the loss of her 14-year-old son, Jake Poff.

"I was notified by a game warden on the phone and then a personal visit to my house. My 14-year-old son Jake and his friend were out on a kayak here on the Trinity River and somehow it capsized. They went under and never came back up. My soon-to-be ex-husband jumped in, tried to save his son and his friend, and he went under, and he hasn’t been found yet. So I’ve been out here since 7 a.m. waiting for them to bring the body, so my kids can have closure. We have five kids together, so we’re waiting for Dad to come home so we can lay him to rest," said Julia Poff. "Billie was an auto mechanic. We were married for 28 years, he was a good father to the girls growing up. We had our differences as we got older and drifted apart."

Poff said Jake was a freshman student, and football player at Coldspring-Oakhurst High School, who wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up.

"Jake was one of a kind. Jake was silly. He was a cuddler. He always tried to help out. He was a light in this world, and I’m so going to miss him," said Julia Poff.

She also said the boys were not wearing life vests at the time.

The Poff family created a fundraiser to help with funeral costs.