A 20-year-old Dallas man drowned at Lewisville Lake on Sunday, July 26, at a beach popular with Flower Mound and Highland Village families. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Brendan Mclennan went underwater in the swim and canoe rental area of Little Elm Beach around 12:30 p.m. and did not resurface, according to the Cross Timbers Gazette. Witnesses called 911.

The Lewisville Fire Department, Little Elm Police Department, and Denton County Game Wardens responded to the scene on the northern shore of the lake. Lewisville FD crews retrieved Mclennan from the water, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital. No cause of death or contributing factors have been released, and the investigation is ongoing, according to officials.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued a statement expressing condolences to Mclennan's family.

Recent water emergencies in southern Denton County

Mclennan's death is the latest in a series of water-related emergencies in southern Denton County this summer. On Wednesday, July 15, the Flower Mound Fire Department assisted in recovering a man and his dog who drowned in a community pond in Argyle, the Cross Timbers Gazette reported. On Sunday, July 12, Lewisville Fire Department crews rescued a man who fell down a steep, rocky embankment while fishing near the lake; that man survived.

Lewisville Lake has a documented history of drownings. The lake recorded three drowning deaths in 2024, and two more incidents had already occurred by May 2025, according to Star Local Media citing city of Lewisville Parks and Recreation officials.

Statewide, Texas recorded 50 boating-related fatalities in 2025, with 84% of victims not wearing life jackets, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department data reported by the Dallas Express. Whether Mclennan was wearing a life jacket has not been disclosed.

What residents should know

Texas law requires children younger than 13 to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while a vessel is underway. TPWD recommends all swimmers and boaters wear life jackets regardless of age or swimming ability.

Little Elm Beach is a designated swim area with canoe rentals on the northern shore of Lewisville Lake, roughly 10 miles from both Flower Mound and Highland Village. Residents who witness a water emergency should call 911 immediately.