Father of four found dead after vanishing during swim in Missouri lake

A 35-year-old man jumped into a Missouri lake then began to struggle in the water, according to local news reports.

The swimmer then vanished as he went underwater in Lake Springfield, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a drowning report. That was the last time John Evan Hance was seen alive.

His body was found in the water at about 8:45 p.m. Central time Tuesday, May 31, KY3 reported, nearly four hours after the Springfield man drowned.

A witness who tried to save Hance was treated at the scene, according to the Missouri TV station.

Hance was a father of four kids and a brother of three, family said on a GoFundMe fundraising page.

“This is so unexpected,” Kristin Wade wrote on Facebook. “He leaves a family that loves him including 4 small children.”

Lake Springfield is about 13 miles south of downtown Springfield.

This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Father of four found dead after vanishing during swim in Missouri lake."