A 27-year-old man died at Lake Hawkins in Wood County on July 4, according to an official media statement from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Texas Game Wardens in Wood County responded to a possible water-related fatality at the lake around 1:30 p.m., the agency said. Witnesses reported seeing the man go underwater in the swim area and not resurface.
The man was recovered from Lake Hawkins by a local dive team, TPWD said in a 5 p.m. update the same day.
The incident occurred during a stretch of heightened concern about water safety in Texas. In a July 3 news release, TPWD reported that the state had recorded 18 open-water drownings and 25 boating-related fatalities in 2026 as of July 2, and said Texas Game Wardens would be out in force over the Independence Day weekend as part of the national Operation Dry Water enforcement and awareness campaign.
The agency encourages swimmers and boaters to take basic precautions on the water, including wearing a properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket and letting someone know where they are going and when they expect to return, according to the July 3 release.