Firefighter who vanished diving three months ago found dead, California officials say

A Los Angeles firefighter missing after vanishing while diving with friends in December has been found dead, California officials reported.

The body of Connor J. Lees, 29, was recovered from the ocean off Long Beach on Friday, March 28, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news release.

Lees had disappeared on a recreational diving trip with friends in the Port of Long Beach while off-duty on Dec. 4, the agency said.

Despite an exhaustive search, Lees could not be found after he failed to resurface during a dive and the search was called off, firefighters said.

Lees was a six-year veteran of the fire department and worked at a station in Baldwin Hills, about an 10-mile drive southwest from downtown Los Angeles, at the time of his death.

The department “stands united in grief” with his family, the agency said.

Lee was free diving for lobsters with friends when he vanished, the Long Beach Post said.

“He loved the water and everything it brings to our lives,” Robin Jenks, who organized a GoFundMe, said. “It shaped him into the boy, the son, the brother, the friend, the athlete, the surfer, the explorer, the firefighter, the companion, and the man he became.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Firefighter who vanished diving three months ago found dead, California officials say."