Woman drowns Saturday night at Lewisville Lake

LEWISVILLE, Texas - Firefighters recovered the body of a young woman from Lewisville Lake on Sunday.

Investigators say the woman who drowned knew how to swim — but that she was not wearing a life jacket.

Jemi Jadel Bunns, 27, jumped off a boat into Lewisville Lake on Saturday evening and never resurfaced.

That makes eight drownings on the lake and two on the connecting Trinity River this year.

“One thing they all have in common is they weren’t wearing life jackets,” said Kyle Allison, Denton Co. Game Warden.

Game wardens say the boat was close to shore — nearly ready to dock for the night — when the 27-year old jumped in. It’s a lake that ranks high in its number of drownings.

“The lake is not the ocean, so I think some people think it’s more calm than it might be in the ocean so they might be more safe,” said Amber Bell, who operates charters on the lake.

Wardens say sometimes boaters get a false sense of security when they’re near the marina. But at Lewisville Lake the water is still 30-feet deep, so they say it’s critical to wear a life jacket.

“And some people may not know that, they might think oh I’m closer to land so it’s not that deep,” Bell said.

Five people were on the boat. A witness told FOX4 friends of the victim jumped in the water in an attempt to save her.

Game wardens say it’s been a busy lake season because the pandemic has people looking for outside activities.

People at the lake know of its history of drownings and wardens want people to learn from its history and be safe.

“Remember to have life jackets, remember to have a sober driver,” Allison said.