Teen electrocuted by downed powerline in Santa Fe area

SANTA FE, TX (KTRK) -- A 19-year-old, who just celebrated his birthday last Saturday, has been killed in a tragic accident in the Santa Fe area.

Mason Curlee died apparently doing what he loved: fishing.

"(He) loved to fish, very outgoing, made us laugh all the time," said his mother, Jennifer Locke.

Authorities say he'd been at some sand pits off Highway 6 near Santa Fe High School, a location where some locals have recently started to fish. His body was found near a live power line. Investigators believe Mason Curlee was electrocuted.

"I'm so thankful he didn't suffer. That's the thing that's getting me through this right now. He didn't suffer," Locke said.

Friends and family last heard from Mason Curlee around 1pm Wednesday. He was missing for more than 24 hours. Police, sheriff's deputies and hundreds of others including friends and family searched frantically for him. Only last night did his father find his car near the sand pits.

When he saw the vehicle, Danny Curlee says he jumped from his truck and ran toward the car.

"Screaming his name, and I was just waiting for him to answer me back and it didn't happen. And I knew something was wrong," said Danny Curlee.

He says Mason's body was found later about 400 to 500 yards away. It's not clear how he was electrocuted.

Mason had worked at the H-E-B in Texas City. He wanted to go to college, maybe to be a nurse or an electrician, his parents said.

They are devastated his promising future was cut drastically short.

"Tell your children every day that you love 'em, and mean it," Danny Curlee said.

The Galveston County Sheriff's Office says CenterPoint energy did not know about the downed power line prior to the incident. When Eyewitness News called CenterPoint, a spokesperson refused to tell us if they knew about it previously and would say only that they are cooperating with authorities.