A recent high school graduate and prom king tragically drowned in an Iowa lake on Wednesday.
Authorities said Aiden Beason disappeared beneath the waters of Rathburn Lake in Centreville more than an hour before rescuers found his body.
The 17-year-old swimmer “submerged in the water and did not resurface,” police said. Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy’s body was discovered in 15 to 20 feet of water at 7:33 p.m. and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police did not release the boy’s identity, but Centerville Community Schools approved Beeson was named prom king before graduating from Centreville High School in May.
Despite typical popularity in high school, the football and tennis player was well known in the community as “a genuinely kind person who treated all students and faculty with respect.”
“Not only is he a great athlete, but the best thing about him is that he’s who he is,” Beeson tennis coach Tyler Bays said. I wrote on Facebook.
“Aiden was a kid that all of his teachers and coaches loved. He was a very kind and caring kid who gave his all in the classroom and on the field/court. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to get to know such a person.”
Centreville High School reopened this week, offered counselling to grieving friends and saw dozens of people gather at the football field where the boy once played to pray.
The school district also shared a crest on its social media channels that reads, “Be Like Beeson #20,” a reference to Beeson’s jersey number.
The circumstances of the drowning remain under investigation.
