Father drowns in Lake Geneva after trying to help struggling son

TOWN OF LINN, Wis. (WMTV) - A father is dead after drowning while trying to help his son who was struggling in Lake Geneva water Sunday night.

Around 7 p.m., 31-year-old Antonio F. Delasancha was boating on the lake near Big Foot Beach in the Town of Linn with his family, pulling his two pre-teen daughters on a tube. After one of his daughters fell off the tube, he turned the boat around to pick her up.

When the boat came to a stop, Delasancha‘s 11-year-old son—who was wearing a life vest at the time—jumped into the water to swim, according to Lake Geneva police.

The 11-year-old began to drift away from the boat and started to struggle, prompting his father to quickly jump in the lake to help him—without a life vest. While trying to reach his son, Delasancha went under water and drowned.

After receiving several calls alerting them of the drowning, Lake Geneva police responded, finding the family in a panic over his disappearance.

Police were able to locate Delasancha approximately 5 hours later. Police marked his location, but were unable to recover him due to safety concerns at the time.

The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered Delasancha Monday morning. The investigation is ongoing, with the assistance of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.