Body of second man found in Trinity River near where 2 went underwater, Dallas police say

Authorities recovered a body late Friday in northwest Dallas near where two men went missing in the Trinity River five days earlier.

Dallas police said the body was located in the Elm Fork of the Trinity just before 10 p.m., about a quarter of a mile from a spillway. Authorities recovered the body of the other man Thursday afternoon about 100 yards south of a spillway, police said.

The recovery Friday night capped a search effort for Juan Rubén chel Botzoc, 20, and Edin Oswaldo Yat Choc, 18, that began Sunday afternoon.

Rebecca Sosa, a translator for the families, said Thursday the men were at an Easter picnic at California Crossing Park. One of them fell in the river while washing a grill, and the second man went in after him. The current pulled them underwater, Sosa said.

The Dallas County medical examiner’s office confirmed one of the bodies recovered was chel Botzoc but had not positively identified the second body Saturday evening.

Dallas Fire-Rescue searched for the men for several hours Sunday before shifting the effort from a rescue to a recovery. Authorities said dangerous currents made it difficult for divers to enter the water during the search.

The men’s families were present at the park throughout the week as authorities continued looking for the men’s bodies. Some said they felt they were left in the dark about parts of the recovery operation, and a translator who noted that their first language is an indigenous dialect said communication from authorities was limited.

Dallas police said teams extensively searched the water by boat, sonar and down imaging, and also used a helicopter and drones for aerial searching.

Relatives hope to raise money to send the men’s bodies back to their native Guatemala, said Kendra Jiminez, who also volunteered as a translator.