Officials identify Platte County man who drowned in Houston Lake

A Platte County man who drowned in Houston Lake last week has been identified as Eric L. Stephens, 52.

Stephens’ body was discovered around 8:30 p.m. on June 26 by members of the Kansas City Fire Department responding to a mutual aid call, according to battalion chief Michael Hopkins, a KCFD spokesperson. The Platte County Sheriff’s Office responded to the lake around the same time, according to Capt. Jeffrey Shanks, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

Two Kansas City firefighters pulled Stephens from the water and performed CPR, according to Hopkins. Stephens was taken to a North Kansas City hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Stephens appeared to have been fishing before his death, The Star previously reported. Investigators believe that Stephens was alone on the dock when he drowned, and are not sure how long he was in the water before his body was discovered, according to Hopkins.

Detectives are still investigating Stephens’ death, though no foul play is suspected, according to Shanks.

Stephens lived in Houston Lake, Missouri, a small town attached to the lake itself, according to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. Houston Lake had 223 residents in 2022, according to the most recent available census data. The lake itself spans 16 acres in Platte County.

Stephens was a member of Local 1310, a Missouri carpenters’ and floorlayers’ union, according to union records. He is survived by a daughter and a son.

An average of 50 people per year fatally drowned in Missouri between 2017 and 2022, according to the most recent data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In 2022 — the most recent full year of available data — more than half of drownings took place in the summer.

Previous reporting by Andrea Klick was used in this article.