Police believe 17-year-old drowned after jumping in canal in Beaumont

Beaumont police say first responders found a body in the LNVA canal behind West End Lodge on Major Drive, and Justice of the Peace Ben Collins Sr. tells KFDM/Fox 4 the 17-year-old male has been identified as Ellis Hollman, III, of Beaumont. Investigators say it's the same teenager who was yelling at people Friday afternoon at the complex, then jumped into the canal and screamed that he couldn't swim. Police had responded to the disturbance at about 4:30 p.m. Friday and were trying to talk with the teen, but couldn't see him because of the thick brush and his location on top of a 20 foot levee. Witnesses on a second story landing say he was yelling and then jumped into the canal. Just after entering the water, he began waving his hands and screamed that he couldn't swim. Once officers made it through the thick brush and to the top of the levee, there was no sign of the teen or where he could be. The Beaumont Fire Department Dive Team searched until nearly 9 p.m. without finding him. Saturday at about 11 a.m., Hollman's body was found in the water near the entry point to the canal.