Overview

• Twenty-one-year-old Gabriel Gonzalez of Hebron dove into the water at Marina Shores Marina to retrieve a fallen device and entered a hidden electrical field under a powered dock.
• His brother Francis and a Good Samaritan both received shocks during the rescue attempt but were pulled to safety, treated by Portage Fire Department paramedics, and released.
• Portage Fire Department dive teams entered the water once it was deemed safe and recovered Gabriel’s body, and he was pronounced dead at Northwest Health – Porter.
• The Porter County Coroner’s Office concluded the cause of death was accidental drowning secondary to electrocution following an official autopsy.
• Indiana DNR officers and a licensed electrician identified the source as defective slip-holder wiring, found no further electrical hazards, and have urged the public to avoid swimming near powered docks while the investigation continues.