Houston Lake drowning victim identified as Platte County man

A Platte County man who drowned in Lake Houston last week has been identified as Eric L. Stephens, 52.

Stephens’ body was discovered around 8:30 p.m. June 26 by members of the Kansas City Fire Department responding to a mutual aid call, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins, a KCFD spokesman. The Platte County Sheriff’s Office responded to the lake around the same time, according to Capt. Jeffrey Shanks, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Two Kansas City firefighters pulled Stephens from the water and performed CPR, Hopkins said. Stephens was taken to a North Kansas City hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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Stephens appeared to have been fishing before his death, the Star reported. Investigators believe Stephens was alone on the dock when he drowned, and are unsure how long he was in the water before his body was discovered, Hopkins said.

Detectives are still investigating Stephens’ death, although no foul play is suspected, Shanks said.

Stephens lived in Houston Lake, Missouri, a small town attached to the lake itself, according to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. Houston Lake had a population of 223 in 2022, according to the most recent census data available. The lake itself is 16 acres in Platte County.

Stephens was a member of Local 1310, a Missouri carpenters and flooring installers union, according to union records. He is survived by a daughter and a son.

According to the most recent data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, an average of 50 people per year drowned fatally in Missouri between 2017 and 2022. In 2022, the most recent full year for which data is available, more than half of the drownings occurred in the summer.

This article is based on a previous report by Andrea Klick.