Teens Charged With Tampering Evidence in Swimmer's Drowning

WHO:

ABC News - The Rowlett Police Department reported that Daniel Erving was last seen at his home in Dallas around 4:45 p.m. on April 13.

ABC News - The Rowlett Police Department reported that Daniel Erving was last seen with Roper and a 17-year-old juvenile at Lake Ray Hubbard.

ABC News - Roper allegedly admitted during a voluntary interview that he "panicked" after Erving drowned.

ABC News - Roper stated he deleted all communications with Erving from his cellphone because he "was aware that there would be an investigation into Daniel Erving's death and he did not want to get into trouble."

ABC News - Lucas Roper, 19, and a juvenile suspect are charged with tampering with physical evidence.

ABC News - Daniel Erving, the 18-year-old who drowned, is identified as the victim.

ABC News - Erika M. Brown is a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department.

WHAT:

ABC News - The Dallas Police Department stated that the arrests of Roper and the juvenile occurred after the medical examiner's ruling on Erving's death.

ABC News - The Dallas Police Department confirmed that the case will proceed through the criminal justice system.

ABC News - The arrest affidavit alleges that Roper and the juvenile jumped into the water from a railroad bridge near the 6300 block of Miller Road, where Erving drowned.

ABC News - Roper allegedly admitted during a voluntary interview that he "panicked" after Erving drowned and that he and the juvenile fled the scene.

ABC News - The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Daniel Erving's cause of death as drowning, with the manner of death classified as accidental.

ABC News - Roper and the juvenile are charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony, as a result of their actions after Erving's drowning.

ABC News - Roper and the juvenile allegedly stopped their vehicle away from the scene and threw Erving's cellphone into a ditch to prevent it from being available to investigators.

ABC News - The cellphone and some of Erving's clothing were later recovered after the juvenile showed detectives where they had been discarded.

ABC News - Roper and the juvenile are each charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony.

NY Post - Daniel Erving's body was recovered from the lake four days after he drowned.

ABC News - The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Erving's death an accidental drowning.

ABC News - Roper allegedly admitted to deleting all communications with Erving from his cellphone.

WHERE:

ABC News - The drowning incident occurred at Lake Ray Hubbard, specifically near a railroad bridge close to the 6300 block of Miller Road.

ABC News - The drowning incident occurred at Lake Ray Hubbard in North Texas.

ABC News - The specific location mentioned is near the 6300 block of Miller Road.

WHEN:

ABC News - Erving was reported missing on April 13.

ABC News - The arrests of Roper and the juvenile occurred after the medical examiner's ruling.

WHY:

ABC News - Roper and the juvenile allegedly failed to report the incident and later discarded items belonging to Daniel Erving.

ABC News - Roper and the juvenile allegedly discarded evidence after Erving drowned and failed to report the incident.

HOW:

ABC News - The affidavit alleges that Roper tampered with physical evidence by discarding Erving's clothing and deleting communications with Erving from his cellphone.

ABC News - Roper allegedly instructed the juvenile to throw Erving's cellphone from the vehicle after they fled the scene.

ABC News - Detectives later examined Roper's cellphone and confirmed that communications with Erving had been deleted.

ABC News - Roper allegedly threw Erving's clothing into a tree line and instructed the juvenile to throw Erving's cellphone from the vehicle.

ABC News - Roper and the juvenile fled the scene in Roper's vehicle after the drowning incident.

(UPDATED July 15, 2026 01:22 UTC)

The Dallas Police Department has announced the arrests of Roper and a juvenile following the medical examiner's ruling on Erving's death, confirming that the case will move forward through the criminal justice system. According to the arrest affidavit, Roper and the juvenile jumped into the water from a railroad bridge near the 6300 block of Miller Road, where Erving tragically drowned, and Roper allegedly admitted to panicking and fleeing the scene afterward. Additionally, the affidavit claims that Roper tampered with evidence by discarding Erving's clothing and deleting communications with him from his cellphone.

(UPDATED July 14, 2026 23:15 UTC)

Daniel Erving was last seen at his home in Dallas around 4:45 p.m. on April 13, and the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled his cause of death as drowning, classifying it as accidental. The incident took place at Lake Ray Hubbard, near a railroad bridge close to the 6300 block of Miller Road. Authorities allege that Roper and a juvenile failed to report the incident and discarded items belonging to Erving, with Roper reportedly instructing the juvenile to throw Erving's cellphone from their vehicle after they fled the scene.

(UPDATED July 14, 2026 19:24 UTC)

The Rowlett Police Department has reported that Daniel Erving was last seen with Roper and a 17-year-old juvenile at Lake Ray Hubbard, where a drowning incident occurred near a railroad bridge close to the 6300 block of Miller Road. Following the incident, Roper and the juvenile have been charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony, due to their actions after Erving's drowning. Allegedly, Roper instructed the juvenile to dispose of Erving's cellphone from their vehicle as they fled the scene.

(UPDATED July 14, 2026 17:24 UTC)

In a recent development, Roper allegedly admitted during a voluntary interview that he "panicked" after Daniel Erving drowned and deleted all communications with Erving from his cellphone to avoid potential trouble amid an impending investigation. Roper and a juvenile reportedly stopped their vehicle away from the scene and discarded Erving's cellphone in a ditch, but detectives later recovered the phone and some of Erving's clothing after the juvenile revealed their location. Further examination of Roper's cellphone confirmed that communications with Erving had indeed been deleted.

(UPDATED July 14, 2026 14:36 UTC)

Lucas Roper, 19, and a juvenile suspect have been charged with tampering with physical evidence in connection with the drowning of 18-year-old Daniel Erving, whose body was recovered from Lake Ray Hubbard four days after he was reported missing. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Erving's death an accidental drowning, and authorities allege that Roper deleted all communications with him and discarded evidence related to the incident. Roper reportedly threw Erving's clothing into a tree line and instructed the juvenile to dispose of his cellphone, before fleeing the scene in Roper's vehicle.