Man drowns after boat capsizes on private lake near Cheney

Early Sunday morning, Sedgwick County law enforcement and emergency personnel were called to a private lake in western Sedgwick County on a report that a small boat had capsized.

The call came in at 8:19 a.m. near Central and 391st Street West, according to a Sedgwick County 911 dispatcher. Two men were in the boat, the dispatcher said.

One was able to swim to the shore of the private lake, which is a few miles south of Cheney Reservoir.

The other man drowned.

A Gofundme website account was started shortly after news of 30-year-old Wichitan Aaron Travis’ death.

Travis, with his wife, Amber, had been expecting their first child – a girl named Summer – in May, according to the website.

Within a few hours, more than $9,000 was raised for the Travis family.

Emergency rescue crews located Travis’ body at 9:33 a.m.

The two men had been duck hunting, according to Eddie Fajardo, division chief for the Sedgwick County Fire Department.

“They were reaching over the side of the boat when it capsized, throwing both in the water,” Fajardo said.

The Gofundme website said Travis and his best friend Justin Stroot went to a lake on a friend’s farm to hunt ducks.

“Justin was able to swim to shore but Aaron, weighed down by his clothes, did not make it. Aaron is not your average outdoorsman. With the approaching birth of his first child, he knew his hunting/fishing days were numbered as he had committed to Amber to be the best Daddy in the world,” the website said.

Units from the Sedgwick County Fire Department, Cheney Fire, Wichita and Sedgwick County EMS and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office responded.

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Man drowns after boat capsizes on private lake near Cheney."