TEXAS CITY — Seventeen-year-old Nathan Lowery went missing on the morning of June 27, 2026, after an incident involving an inflatable raft at the Texas City Dike. Lowery and his 16-year-old brother launched an inflatable raft from the north side of the dike shortly before sunrise.

The brothers entered the water around 5:30 a.m. The raft began deflating and taking on water while they were fishing. The Texas City Fire Department Marine Unit rescued Lowery's 16-year-old brother, but Nathan Lowery did not resurface.

Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Tumbleson identified the missing teen as Nathan Lowery. Search crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, Galveston Police Marine Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Texas EquuSearch searched for Lowery on June 27, 2026. A U.S. Coast Guard flight crew located the empty raft approximately 15 miles from the dike in Trinity Bay. The official search for Lowery was suspended around 6:15 p.m. that day.

Texas EquuSearch stated that Lowery was last seen wearing a royal blue T-shirt and dark gray shorts. Mark Edwards, a case manager, said, "Once they got clear of this landmass blocking that south wind, the wind really picked up out there and pushed them way out into the bay." Edwards added, "All of our information is sketchy, which has forced all of us to grid search nearly the entire bay."

On the morning of June 29, 2026, search crews, including TEXSAR and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, returned to the water to continue searching for Lowery. These renewed efforts involved three boats, two jet skis, and approximately 19 searchers covering the area.