Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Eddie Wotipka drowned while attempting to rescue a dog from a canal near his home shortly before midnight.
He was completing paperwork in his patrol car prior to the end of his shift when his wife notified him that their dog was missing. As he searched for the dog a neighbor informed him that several dogs were creating a disturbance at a nearby canal near the intersection of Thompson Road and West Cedar Bayou Lynchburg Road.
Deputy Wotipka located several dogs at the canal with one dog in the water. He entered the water in an attempt to save the dog, but the strong currents, combined with his duty equipment, pulled him beneath the surface. He was able to resurface once but went under again and never resurfaced. His body was recovered the following morning shortly after 5:00 am.
Deputy Wotipka had served with the agency for 17 years and is survived by his wife and two grown children.
Survivors
Deputy Wotipka had served with the agency for 17 years and is survived by his wife and two grown children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-361E03DA- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Wotipka gave the Harris County Sheriff's Office 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Wotipka.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Eddie Lynn Wotipka is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Harris County Sheriff's Office, 20 of 56 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eddie Lynn Wotipka's cause is highlighted.
How Eddie Lynn Wotipka Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Eddie Lynn Wotipka is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
55 officers from Harris County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
