Accidental drowning caused death of Fort Worth teen found in creek

A missing Polytechnic High School sophomore whose body was found in a Fort Worth creek last month died from accidental drowning, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.

The death of 16-year-old Jerry “J.J.” Harris was an accident, officials said in a ruling released Wednesday.

Harris was last seen by his family April 17, when he said he was walking to his cousin’s home and set off on foot in the pouring rain.

Ten days later, a body was found in a creek by an employee of the Sycamore Creek Golf Course, police said. On May 11, officials at the medical examiner’s office identified the body using DNA collected from Harris’ relatives, according to a statement from police.

Initially, Harris was listed as a runaway, but after authorities checked with school officials, the classification was changed to missing person.

A surveillance camera showed him near Dillow Elementary, 4000 Ave. N, running alone in the rain on the morning of April 17.

“I still have a lot of questions and I’m not happy with how the police handled this,” Joyce Harris, the teen’s paternal grandmother and spokeswoman for the family, said Wednesday.

Joyce Harris said family and friends organized searches and handed out fliers door-to-door.

In a statement released shortly after May 11, police sent condolences to the family.

“For several days after the initial report on April 17, the area was searched by patrol officers, officers from the missing persons unit, the mounted patrol, Fort Worth Fire Department divers and volunteers from the search group Rescue 1 using trained dogs,” the statement said.

Police posted a flier with Harris’ picture on social media. “Throughout the investigation, officers from the missing persons unit were in contact with Mr. Harris’ family,” police said.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Accidental drowning caused death of Fort Worth teen found in creek."