Woman jumped into Midlands lake but never resurfaced; now a search is on, officials say
Crews searched Lake Wateree for a woman who jumped in the water Sunday night but never resurfaced, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, or DNR.
The search was suspended at 9:30 p.m. Monday, DNR tweeted, adding it will resume Tuesday morning.
Officers were called to Lake Wateree around 8:40 p.m. Sunday, DNR officials said in a news release. They were told a woman jumped off a pontoon boat and was not seen again.
The boat, which was carrying several people at the time, was drifting, DNR tweeted.
DNR spokeswoman Kaley Lawrimore said the boat was put in the water at Wateree Marina, which is located just off SC-97 in Kershaw County.
Crews postponed the search at 1 a.m. Monday, but resumed it at 7 a.m., according to the news release.
“It’s a recovery at this point,” DNR Capt. Robert McCullough said in an interview with The State.
McCullough said a location on the lake has been pinpointed where DNR expects to recover the woman’s body, adding “We’ll be diving until we find her.”
Additional details about the woman and the events surrounding her disappearance were not available.
The woman was identified as a 22-year-old, WIS reported.
Fairfield County Fire and Rescue and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office are assisting in the search.
Kershaw County Coroner David West confirmed his office has been contacted about the search, but said no body had been found as of 4:30 p.m.
Lake Wateree is 30 miles northeast of Columbia and has 216 miles of shoreline, according to DNR. While the average depth of the lake is 6.9 feet, the water goes as far down as about 225 feet in its deepest spot, per DNR.
McCullough said it has been a year or two since there was a water recovery at Lake Wateree.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published July 22, 2019 at 1:42 PM.
