‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do’: Mom Struggles As OKCFD Continues Search For Man At Lake Hefner

Oklahoma City firefighters spent much of the day combing Lake Hefner for a man who went missing early Tuesday morning. He went into the water after missing a turn along the lakefront, officials said. News 9's Tevis Hillis spoke with the young man's mother.

Tuesday, November 24th 2020, 6:37 pm

By: Tevis Hillis


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Oklahoma City firefighters spent much of the day combing Lake Hefner for a man who went missing early Tuesday morning.

He went into the water after missing a turn along the lakefront, officials said.

Crews continue to search for Durrell Anderson.

"I just don't know what to do," said Jennifer Anderson, Durrell's mother.

Officials said Durrell and his sister were driving along Lake Hefner when he misjudged a turn. Instead of following the gravel road, he went into the lake.

His sister swam to shore.

"According to her, they went, and it was dark, and they couldn't see, and they went into the water a little bit. Then he was like, ‘oh no, we have to push the car out.’ But water started coming into the car," said Jennifer.

The 16-year-old sister said she saw her brother escape the car before it fully was submerged.

"She went under, and he went under, and she said she saw him come back up. And they lost each other in the water," said Anderson.

The teen went to the hospital for treatment. The family said she has some scrapes and bruises but will be OK.

As for Durrell, firefighters were able to pull his car out of the lake. Crews called off the search Tuesday evening due to darkness.

But Durrell’s mother is not giving up hope.

"He is so loyal. If he is your friend, he is your friend to the end. He's funny, smart, handsome. A good kid," she said.

The fire department said they plan to resume their search at daybreak.

Tevis Hillis

An Oklahoma native, Tevis Hillis joined the News 9 team in 2020 as a multimedia journalist. She now anchors the weekend morning newscasts. Passionate about shaping the future of journalism, Tevis also serves as executive producer and adjunct professor for OU Nightly, mentoring and teaching more than 160 students.

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