Man missing from lake accident identified | Recovery efforts continue at Wright Patman

Crews pull an SUV from the Sulphur River on Monday afternoon at the edge of Bowie and Cass counties. The 2000 GMC Yukon plunged into the Wright Patman Lake spillway Sunday evening with a man and a woman inside. Lucia Mendoza, 29, was rescued Sunday evening, but a search is ongoing for the unidentified man.
Crews pull an SUV from the Sulphur River on Monday afternoon at the edge of Bowie and Cass counties. The 2000 GMC Yukon plunged into the Wright Patman Lake spillway Sunday evening with a man and a woman inside. Lucia Mendoza, 29, was rescued Sunday evening, but a search is ongoing for the unidentified man.

UPDATE

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Gregg Williams confirmed Thursday morning that the body of 23-year-old Armando Valdez has been recovered.

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TEXARKANA, Texas - The recovery mission for a man missing in Wright Patman Lake continued Wednesday.

The victim has been identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as Armando Valdez, 23, of Texarkana, Texas. DPS is investigating the accident and Texas Game Wardens are heading up the recovery mission.

Valdez was the driver of a 2000 GMC Yukon that plunged from the roadway and into Lake Wright Patman spillway Sunday evening.

At noon Wednesday, The Corp of Engineers decided to resume water flow through the spill way. The gates were reopened in order to prevent flooding.

The victim's wife, Lucia Mendoza, 29, of Texarkana was rescued from the water by Dustin Roach of Ashdown, Arkansas. Roach saw the vehicle go into the water and jumped in to help, according to social media reports.

Roach has also started a GoFundMe account for Lucia Mendoza.

"I witnessed a tragic accident at Wright Patman Spill Way on Easter Sunday. However, God showed up and I was blessed to be able to save Lucia's life," he wrote on the GoFundMe account.

"Sadly, she did lose her husband that day and she will soon be hit with hospital and funeral expenses," he wrote.

The GoFundMe had raised more than $3,000 as of Wednesday.

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