Man missing at Lake Murray jumped into the water but didn't resurface, deputies say

Emergency crews searched Lake Murray for a man who jumped in but didn't resurface Sunday afternoon.

Witnesses said the man jumped into the water and did not resurface, according to Sgt. Amanda Jordan of the Richland County Sheriff's Department.

"We know we've got a boater that was in the water and hadn't come up," South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesman Capt. Robert McCullough said of the man he said was a 47-year-old Lexington resident.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources dispatched its dive team to the area near the Lake Murray Marina after the call came in around 1 p.m., McCullough said.

"Basically, a group of people were enjoying the afternoon in the lake on a pontoon coming into the marina and they stopped and (swam) for a little while and, as they were getting back on the boat, one of their members went down," SC Deptartment of Natural Resources Sgt. Rhett Bickley told wistv.com. "Three people were in the water. Two of them made it back to the boat, but one did not. The individual went missing in 60 feet of water."

As of 9 p.m. the man had not been found, and the dive team soon called off it's search, even though it had the aid of sonar equipment, McCullough said.

"They will work into the evening, and be back at it at first light," McCullough said.

The Department of Natural Resources is leading the underwater recovery efforts and the investigation, McCullough said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

This story was originally published June 17, 2018 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Man missing at Lake Murray jumped into the water but didn't resurface, deputies say."