A 22-year-old Zephyrhills man was found dead in Palm Harbor's Lake Tarpon on Sunday, two days after he disappeared while test-driving a boat from a U.S. 19 repair shop.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said the body of David Christopher Wilson Jr. was pulled from the water at 7:12 a.m. Sunday after a search that stretched across three days and involved multiple agencies. The death appears to be accidental, according to a PCSO news release.

Employee left shop to test repaired skiff

Wilson was an employee at Boat and Motor Supercenters, 36851 U.S. Highway 19 N. The shop had been repairing the engine on an 18-foot Carolina Skiff, and Wilson left aboard the vessel about 5:15 p.m. Friday to test the work.

He never returned.

Empty boat found drifting near Juniper Bay

At about 6:15 p.m., deputies responded to Lansbrook Lakefront Park, 3600 Lakefront Drive, where the empty skiff was drifting near Juniper Bay. The park sits on the southeast shore of Lake Tarpon, the county's largest lake at 2,534 acres, in the Lansbrook community.

Agencies join effort before Sunday discovery

The sheriff's office flight unit launched an aerial search Friday evening. Marine unit deputies combed the lake until about 11 p.m. without success. Forensic personnel processed the boat for clues during the initial response, Tampa Bay 28 reported.

East Lake Fire Rescue, the Palm Harbor Fire Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission joined the effort Saturday but came up empty. Recovery operations resumed early Sunday and ended when Wilson was located.

The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. Wilson's next of kin has been notified.

The investigation remains open. Anyone with information can contact the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office at 727-582-6200.