Body found in Lake Murray more than a day after boater went missing, DNR says
Divers searching for a missing boater discovered a body near the area where the 47-year-old Lexington man reportedly disappeared in Lake Murray, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Capt. Robert McCullough confirmed the body was discovered in Lake Murray around 6:45 p.m. Monday. That is more than 24 hours after a man was reported to have jumped into Lake Murray without resurfacing.
The body has not been confirmed as that of the missing boater, but will be examined by Richland County Coroner Gary Watts, according to McCullough.
“We have been out on Lake Murray for the last two days working on recovery efforts for a missing swimmer off of a boat,” McCullough said. “This evening we were able to effect a recovery.”
McCullough said the man’s body was discovered about 60 to 70 feet off the dock, near the Liberty on the Lake restaurant.
Divers found the body in water between 30 to 50 feet deep, McCullough said.
On Sunday, witnesses said the man jumped into the water and did not resurface, according to Sgt. Amanda Jordan of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
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 Department 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.”
Dive teams had no luck finding the body in the area where the missing boater’s companions told authorities they thought he disappeared, McCullough said. After receiving multiple tips to search in another area from unrelated people in the Lake Murray area, divers from DNR and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department changed the search area, leading to the discovery of a body.
The incident remains under investigation, which will be led by DNR and the Richland County Coroner’s office.
Staff writer Teddy Kulmala contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 18, 2018 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Body found in Lake Murray more than a day after boater went missing, DNR says."