Teen drowns in Allegan Co. lake

ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (WOOD) - A 14-year-old boy from Allegan County drowned in Lake 16 Friday evening.

Montrel Alonzo Jeffries was being taught to swim by three 16-year-old boys when he went under and didn't resurface, investigators said.

The boys tried to find Jeffries, but were unsuccessful.

Allegan County dive teams responded to the call and were able to find Jeffries about 30 yards off shore in about 14 feet of water. They discovered him six minutes after they arrived on the scene. Jeffries was pulled from the water, and EMS personnel tried to revive him. He was then rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Jacqueline and Scott Edwards were the first to hear the teens that were with Jeffries calling for help.

"The boy said ...'my brother's under the water, he's been under the water for a couple of minutes,'" Jacqueline Edwards said.

Jacqueline and Scott got in the waters immediately and tried to help find Jeffries.

"I just stayed out there and looked as long as I could - until all the dive teams come out and figured they'd take over from there," Scott Edwards said.

The couple says it was no relief for them when the dive team found the boy. Jefferies was not breathing and had no pulse.

"To see 'em pull a young boy out of the water is pretty- makes you think. Makes you try to put yourself in those parents' place," Scott Edwards says.

Jacqueline placed a life jacket near the couple's dock in hopes that it might prevent what happened Friday evening from happening again.

"Anything's got to help," she said. "Maybe they'll notice that."