BRAINERD, Minn. — A Hutchinson man was declared dead Monday after he was pulled from the water at a youth camp in Brainerd.
According to the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office, 30-year-old Alan Garcia was a staff member at Maplewood Academy, and was on a retreat at North Star Camp with a group of students when he died.
Authorities say deputies responded to the camp just after 1:30 p.m. on reports of a man who had gone underwater. According to the sheriff's office, when deputies arrived, they learned that a student with the group was able to pull the man from the water.
Subsequent life-saving efforts by first responders were ultimately unsuccessful, and the man was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Garcia's family released the following statement:
We wanted to share that Alan was very passionate about what he did for work at Maplewood Academy, he gave his all to them and really enjoyed teaching others about God. He was a teacher at the camp while he was away this weekend. We are still awaiting an autopsy report, as the family says he knew how to swim so they are thinking he had some other underlying condition that took place while he was in the water. For now we are just asking people to keep the family in their prayers. And service will be held this Sunday at Maplewood academy in Hutchinson MN.
A statement released Monday night by the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the group that owns and operates both Maplewood Academy and North Star Camp, said counseling services will be provided for students and staff in the coming days at the academy.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral costs.
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