Man identified in fatal Pyramid Lake boating accident

The victim of a fatal boating accident in Pyramid Lake was identified Monday as a 52-year-old West Covina resident.

Rick Tanovan, identified by the Los Angeles County coroner, was confirmed dead Sunday after deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department parks bureau found him floating near a boat with its bow protruding from the water, said Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez.

Sheriff’s officials began searching for a second man who might have been involved in the accident over the weekend and resumed Monday morning. There were no updates as of mid-afternoon Monday, according to the sheriff’s department.

Deputies responded to the location where Tanovan’s body was found after being flagged down around 11:20 a.m. Sunday by a man on a jet ski, who reported seeing something near Chumash Island in the southern part of the lake.

Deputies performed CPR on Tanovan but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man had no obvious signs of physical trauma and appeared to have drowned, but the exact cause of death has yet to be determined, Navarro-Suarez said.

She said there were no signs of damage to the boat.

An autopsy on the body is pending, according to the coroner’s office.

Homicide detectives were also present on the scene Sunday evening as a matter of protocol, but there was no preliminary sign of foul play, officials said.

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