Funeral services were held for a 15-year-old boy who was a three-sport athlete at Grayslake Central High School, remembered for his “ability to inspire others,” after he drowned in the Chain O’ Lakes.
Brayan Monzanga, 15, of Round Lake, died on July 13 in the area of Myers Bay, which is part of Pistakee Lake.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said Monzanga jumped off a recreational boat to go swimming in Myers Bay and went underwater but never resurfaced.
Covelli said the boy did not have a life vest on when he jumped into the water.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Public Information Officer Brandon Damm said Monzanga was recovered from the water after a two-hour search and pronounced dead.
Grayslake Community High School District 127 Superintendent Mikkel Storaasli said Monzanga was a “beloved” Grayslake Central High School sophomore.
He was also a three-sport athlete who participated in football, basketball and track.
“He will be terribly missed by both our students and staff. Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time,” Storaasli said.
“Our student services department is fully available to support any members of our school community who need assistance,” he added.
The Fox Lake Fire Protection District arrived on scene at around 6:07 p.m. and – along with the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police – began rescue operations, Fox Lake Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Sam Santiago said.
“We put divers in the water initially, went through several rounds, making a search, and eventually had to switch over to what we call a side scan sonar, a technology where we can scan the water while the divers are outside of the water,” Santiago said.
One of the battalion fire chiefs who lived in the area quickly obtained a “last seen” point for Monzanga, allowing rescue crews to perform search patterns around that specific point, Santiago said.
At least one drone was also deployed for an aerial view of the water.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated early in the incident to bring additional fire department boats and specialized divers and sonar technicians.
A box alarm through MABAS was requested to “get those additional resources to the scene as quickly as possible to support us for that rescue mode,” Santiago said.
A slew of rescue personnel and equipment from throughout Lake and McHenry counties responded and gathered at Ben Watts Marina, 116 Route 12 in Fox Lake.
Santiago said that Ben Watts Marina was chosen due to its accessibility.
Despite the massive number of resources, Santiago said operational collaboration went smoothly because of a universal incident management structure.
“We delegate positions out, and we’ll have team leads for each discipline, and everybody reports back to command,” Santiago said.
“Everything is organized, the resources are vetted coming in, they’re allocated to positions where they need to be, and will backfill as needed to support the whole operation.”
At around 7:30 p.m. – approximately 90 minutes into the incident – crews switched from rescue operations to recovery operations.
The 90-minute mark is considered the “gold standard for when a rescue can be made,” Santiago said.
The initial divers were unable to find Monzanga but sonar technicians were later able to find him and recover his body at around 7:50 p.m., Santiago said.
Santiago called it a “tragedy.” No other injuries were reported.
“This always hits home. These are members of our community. This is a great location to come bring your families, and that’s what they were just trying to do,” Santiago said.
“We’re very sorry for your loss, and we did everything that we could possible,” Santiago added.
Community Consolidated School District 46 said on Friday that many in the Park Campus and District 46 community were grieving the “tragic loss” of Monzanga.
The boy graduated Park Campus in 2025 before attending Grayslake Central High School along with his older brother. He also leaves behind younger siblings at Park Campus and Early Childhood Center, the district said.
“We extend our deepest sympathy and support to his family and friends. A tragic loss like this can impact us in many ways. We might be grieving someone we knew and cared for, feeling sympathy for the family and loved ones, or being reminded of losses we have experienced,” District 46 said.
Police officers and firefighters were seen consoling the boy’s family members and relatives at the scene.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to take possession of Monzanga for the autopsy, which showed the boy died as a result of drowning.
An obituary for Monzanga said he was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. The boy and his family came to the United States when he was a year old under a lottery visa.
His obituary said his true passion was sports and he would be remembered for his “high energy, humbleness, charming smile, and his ability to inspire others to be positive.”
“Those that knew Brayan will always remember his big goofy smile. They will remember his ability to always be respectful to anyone he met and will remember his love for his family,” his family said in his obituary.
“Brayan brought joy to the lives of so many and left a lasting impact on families, friends, classmates, teachers, teammates, and the Grayslake community,” they said.
A visitation was held on Friday evening at The Chapel in Grayslake and a final visitation, memorial and burial service was held on Saturday at St. Dismas Church in Waukegan.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police was investigating the incident.