A 26-year-old Tulsa man drowned at Keystone Lake on Sept. 6 after wading into the water to cool off and never resurfacing.

Christian Becerra-Ledezma had been riding an ATV along the shore near the lake's Party Cove, close to the Appalachia Bay Recreation Area in Pawnee County, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. He walked into the water and did not come back up.

He never resurfaced.

His body was found in about 9 feet of water. OHP activated its dive team for the recovery. Crews pulled Becerra-Ledezma from the lake around 7:15 p.m. and transported his body to the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Tulsa, KJRH reported.

The medical examiner's office had not released a cause-of-death determination as of Sept. 7.

The Pawnee County Sheriff's Office, the State Medical Examiner and rangers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also responded to the scene.

Appalachia Bay Recreation Area sits on Keystone Lake roughly 20 miles west of Tulsa.

The drowning marks at least the second fatal incident at the recreation area in recent years. On July 4, 2024, a 14-year-old fell from an inflatable raft into the water at the same spot. A 39-year-old man drowned trying to rescue the teen, according to Hoodline, citing News On 6 coverage at the time.

In July, OHP's Marine Enforcement Division partnered with the Corps of Engineers on an operation at Keystone Lake targeting life jacket compliance, boating under the influence and reckless operation, Hoodline reported.

The Oklahoma City Fire Department said it had responded to 18 drowning incidents so far in 2026, including four in August, according to News9. The department urged residents to wear life jackets, avoid swimming alone and never mix alcohol with swimming or boating.