Missing Lake Murray boater identified as former Columbia firefighter

LAKE MURRAY, SC Crews are continuing to search for a missing boater on Lake Murray Saturday morning after a child was found alone on a boat Friday night.

A man, identified by the Department of Natural Resources as Durham Alexander DeLaura, 35, of Lexington, of is believed to have fallen out of his 15-foot-boat sometime between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Friday after leaving Sandy Beach on Bundrick Island, according to Capt. Robert McCullough, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Delaura’s 4-year-old daughter was found drifting alone on the boat near Panorama Point, McCullough said. Crews began searching for her father shortly after the missing boater report was received around 7 p.m.

The child was safe with her mother as crews resumed their search of the lake Saturday morning, McCullough said.

Investigators are trying to backtrack the path of the boat to get a better idea of where the man might be located, McCullough said. They’ll be using sonar technology to try to locate him, as well as flying search planes over the area.

“You hold out hope” the man could be found alive, McCullough said. But as time goes on, he said, “there’s less and less hope.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Missing Lake Murray boater identified as former Columbia firefighter."