Body recovered on Lake Travis believed to be San Antonio man

It was the moment when all hope was lost. A tearful embrace, along the edge of Lake Travis Tuesday morning, was the bitter confirmation that Arnie Waden knew was coming.

"Yesterday they were really looking for some closure, and closure is kind of a two edged sword, yeah you want closure you want to be able to find him, but then when you do find him and it’s a bad outcome like this ,it’s never a good thing," said Waden.

Waden says the trouble began when a holiday gathering of friends and family at Graveyard Point was winding down Sunday afternoon. His friend - who Waden says is from San Antonio- had walked off alone and couldn't be found.

"He just went for a swim and didn't make it back," said Waden.

The party took place a few hundred yards back around the bend. Friends of the victim tell us that they waited until Monday to notify law enforcement that he was missing, because they didn't know if he was in the water or if he had just wandered off. When law enforcement arrived on Monday they did an initial search, then it was decided they would do a full scale recovery operation Tuesday morning.

"We just don’t get the divers in the water; it takes time to get the dive team together to get the equipment together, and to get everybody scheduled out here. so we were going to have to put a lot of resources in the water to cover a really large area, so we had to get those all those folks together, and that’s what took the time," said Travis Co. Sheriff's Office spokesperson Roger Wade.

Waden said they had some hope because he and a friend went into the lake Monday with snorkeling and scuba gear. They didn’t find anything which had them believing it was possible their friend was still alive.

Investigators say the body was found by a graveyard point resident who went to a dock to retrieve some shoes. The medical examiner took the body to confirm the identity. For the sister, Waden said, the search is over and the heartache has set in.

"She is besides herself, it’s her twin, it’s her twin, he is 55 years old , it’s her twin brother, he is pretty much the primary caregiver of their mother who is 86,” said Waden.

The incident is the fourth drowning on Lake Travis this year according to the sheriff’s office.  Star Flight, this year, has been called to help with 5 search and rescues on Lake Travis, according to Emergency Services spokesperson Lisa Block. The Air crew has also responded to 6 medical calls.

A male body approximately 50 years of age was found in the water near Graveyard Point Road.

Austin Travis County EMS reported to the scene around 9:45 Tuesday morning.

According to Travis County EMS the man was pronounced dead upon arrival.  Travis County Sheriffs Office also reported to the scene and they are investigating.

Sources have told FOX 7 that a family in the Graveyard Point area say that a family member went missing on Monday.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of the man.