Long Beach authorities have recovered the body of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter Connor Lees, nearly four months after he disappeared while free-diving.
Lees, 29, an experienced surfer and passionate ocean enthusiast, went missing on December 4, 2024, during a recreational dive with friends in the Port of Long Beach. Despite an extensive multi-agency search effort, he was presumed lost at sea, and recovery operations were called off on December 6.
The Long Beach Police Department confirmed that Lees’ body was found on March 28, 2025, off the coast of Long Beach.
Lees had served with the LAFD for six years, most recently assigned to Fire Station 94 B Platoon in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area. He was off duty at the time of his disappearance.
Following his disappearance, family and friends launched a GoFundMe campaign to support his loved ones. The fundraiser page described Lees as someone deeply connected to the ocean. “He loved the water and everything it brings to our lives. It shaped him into the boy, the son, the brother, the friend, the athlete, the surfer, the explorer, the firefighter, the companion, and the man he became,” the page read.
A candlelight vigil was held in Seal Beach weeks after he went missing.
The LAFD expressed its sorrow in a statement posted on social media. “The LAFD stands united in grief alongside Firefighter Lees’ family, friends, and colleagues,” the department wrote. “We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.”
Lees’ family and the LAFD have not yet announced memorial service details.