An HCSO helicopter circles as boats from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard search the basin near Lands End Marina in Apollo Beach on Friday night. Mitch Traphagen photo
APOLLO BEACH — The body of a 23-year-old Valrico man was recovered from the basin off Lands End Marina in Apollo Beach around midnight on Friday night after a six-hour search. Curtis Andrew Shepherd fell off a boat at approximately 5:20 p.m., according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Unidentified friends called 911 when Shepherd did not surface.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission all joined the search that included both boats and helicopters.
Shepherd was reportedly not wearing a life jacket. As of press-time there was no official indication of foul play.
