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Divers recover body of man who drowned in 50-foot-deep water of SC lake

A 63-year-old man jumped off a boat into Lake Keowee, came back up, then went back down and didn’t resurface.

Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said divers recovered the body of Robert “Bobby” McCombs 50 feet below the surface of the water Saturday about midday.

McComb and family members were on a boating and swimming outing Friday afternoon on the lake near Seneca, South Carolina. He dove in. After swimming toward the boat for a few feet he went under the water “with no struggle,” his family reported. But he never resurfaced.

The coroner’s office found no external injuries on McComb.

An autopsy will be performed next week.

Last year, Lake Keowee was reported to be one of the deadliest lakes in South Carolina. At least 32 people died on the lake in the past 25 years.

In April, a kidnapper pushed a 66-year-old woman into the lake from a bridge, she told police. She was rescued by a security officer patrolling the area.

On July 18, a house being built near the lake’s shore collapsed and killed two construction workers.

This story was originally published July 27, 2019 at 4:34 PM.

David Travis Bland
The State
David Travis Bland is The State’s editorial editor. In his prior position as a reporter, he was named the 2020 South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the SC Press Association. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010. Support my work with a digital subscription
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