Scuba Toys Owner Joked About Killing Two People a Year Nearly a Decade Before a Child Drowned

The family of 12-year-old Dylan Harrison is still searching for answers following her death at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas. She was attempting to earn her certification in a class run by an instructor from the Scuba Toys company. Harrison was preparing to go on a scuba diving trip with her father and grandfather, reports FOX 4.

One of the last photos of Harrison, taken by her mother on Aug. 16, 2025, shows an excited little girl all decked out in her scuba gear. In another photo, Harrison is floating in The Scuba Ranch lake alongside other class participants. This was the last time Harrison's mother saw her daughter alive. Her body was later found 42 feet beneath the surface of the water. What happened? Here's what we know so far.

According to the Rockwell County Herald-Banner, the group Harrison was in started by descending to a platform 16 feet below the surface of the lake. When they resurfaced, Harrison was missing. A separate dive team was deployed to search for Harrison, which is when they found her body. Things get strange from here.

Harrison, along with her instructor and dive master, was wearing a dive computer which would have tracked how long she remained underwater, as well as the depth to which she descended. Police did not collect or analyze data from those three dive computers. The family's attorney told the Herald-Banner that information from one of the computers was reportedly lost.

David Concannon, who specializes in the scuba diving industry, told FOX 4, "This is the first case I've had, out of almost 300, where answers have not been forthcoming, and evidence was not gathered at the scene or shortly thereafter, by the people who know what to do." He went on to say that not collecting the dive computer data would be like not having access to the black box from a plane crash.

In a post to Facebook, The Scuba Ranch said they were "heartbroken by the recent tragic loss" of Harrison, and offered sympathy and prayers to the 12-year-old's family. The company explained that they do not have their own instructors, and do not "provide, direct, or supervise instruction received." Following Harrison's death, The Scuba Ranch permanently suspended the instructor involved from teaching at their facility.

Two months after Harrison's death, disturbing footage featuring Scuba Toys owner Joe Johnson began circulating online. Video from 2017 was given to FOX 4. It shows Johnson discussing deaths his company has been responsible for. "All I know is we've killed what, four people, five people, and we've never even done a deposition," says Johnson. "Our insurance company just settles," he said. Johnson then claims he was told they "could kill two people a year" and be fine.

Johnson's wife chimes in that they don't want that to happen, to which he says he's just kidding. The video was filmed by a Scuba Toys instructor who forwarded it to John Banks. At the time, he was the regional director for the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). They are responsible for certifying dive shops. Banks sent the video to Jim Gunderson at the NAUI headquarters in Tampa, Fla. Gunderson sent it to the then-CEO of NAUI, who deemed it not actionable.