Search for couple fruitless

Air, boat effort fails to find trace of man, wife whose vessel was found adrift Saturday

By LEE HIGGINS - lhiggins@thestate.com

State Department of Natural Resources officers continue to search by air and boat for a Red Bank couple last seen Saturday on their boat in Lake Murray, agency spokesman Lt. Robert McCullough said.

Officers are hoping to rescue Randy Adkins Jr., 46, and his 44-year-old wife, Kimberly, McCullough said.

“You hope for the best, but at some point it switches from a rescue to recovery,” McCullough said.

Rescuers are concentrating on an area of a couple of square miles from the Spence Islands north toward Pine Island and east toward the dam, McCullough said.

The couple’s 19½-foot boat was found adrift and unoccupied near Pine Island about 6:40 p.m. Saturday.

It was fueled and operable, and life jackets were on board.

“I can’t confirm they went into the water,” McCullough said. “There’s no witnesses that saw them go in the water.”

No one has reported seeing the couple anywhere since they departed from Jakes Landing about 5 p.m. Saturday.

Five DNR boats were patrolling and searching during daylight hours Thursday, McCullough said.

A single-engine Cessna airplane also was being used, he said.

The area of the lake where the couple might have disappeared is about 150 feet deep, McCullough said.

Over the July Fourth weekend, “there are gonna be more eyes on the lake,” he said.

Members of both families are crossing their fingers. “We’re hoping and praying somehow they are found alive,” said Rachel Dempsey, sister-in-law of Kimberly Adkins.

Randy Adkins is 5-feet-11 tall and weights 180 pounds with brown hair and a full beard.

Kimberly Adkins is 5-feet-4-inches tall and weighs 105 pounds with blond hair.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (888) CRIME-SC.

Reach Higgins at (803) 771-8570. Staff writer Tim Flach contributed.