Sheriff calls it an “unimaginable tragedy” as agencies coordinate recovery south of Lake Livingston Dam.
COLDSPRING, Texas — Two teens drowned and a father remained missing Monday after a kayak flipped Sunday evening on the Trinity River near the Camilla boat ramp, prompting a multi-agency response that shifted from rescue to recovery overnight, according to county officials.
Dispatchers received reports after sunset Sunday of an overturned kayak with two boys aboard and a man in the water. Deputies, fire units and Texas game wardens reached the ramp and began bank and boat searches. Divers recovered both teenagers before midnight. With currents building and visibility fading, commanders paused the search for the father until 7 a.m. Monday. At first light, teams returned with side-scan sonar, divers and draglines to probe the channel south of the Lake Livingston spillway.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Sam Houston issued a statement thanking first responders and volunteers who worked through the night and asked for privacy for the families. Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Underwater Search and Recovery Team took primary responsibility for subsurface sweeps while Polk County and state park police units maintained boats and managed river traffic. Officials said the river was running fast with surface chop that made small craft unstable and complicated recovery.
Relatives identified one victim as fourteen-year-old Jake Poff of Coldspring-Oakhurst High School and said the boys were not wearing life vests. Family said the missing man, identified by relatives as Billie, is Jake’s father and entered the water to help the boys. Authorities had not formally released names for the father or the second teen as of midday, pending notification by the medical examiner.
The Camilla boat ramp is a common launch for fishing and paddling south of the dam. Deputies said swift outflow can hide drop-offs and eddies that pull swimmers and small boats into deeper runs. Past reports show similar incidents along this reach, especially during busy weekends. On Monday, responders set up a staging area with a grid drawn from witness points and known current lines. Sonar operators called out potential targets while divers rotated short, cold dives at marked buoys.
Investigators continued documenting statements and estimating drift paths to refine the grid. No criminal allegations had been announced as of Monday, and the case remained a river fatality with one person unaccounted for. The medical examiner will confirm identifications and determine causes of death. If the father is found Monday, an autopsy could be scheduled as soon as Tuesday, with preliminary findings typically released after next of kin are notified.
Along the bank, classmates and neighbors left flowers at a guardrail while family members waited under a canopy. “We have five kids together,” Julia Poff said, adding that relatives were preparing funeral plans. A volunteer boater described the water as “rolling in layers” that can flip a kayak in seconds. A warden briefed families on the day’s plan, saying teams would clear every sonar hit within the primary grid before expanding downstream.
As of midday Monday, the search remained active south of the spillway with an afternoon update expected from the sheriff’s office. The next milestone is recovery and formal identification of the missing father, followed by medical examiner determinations for the teens.
Author note: Last updated November 11, 2025.