Clemson alum's body is found three days after he was thrown from a boat, SC coroner says
Two men were boating on a South Carolina lake Sunday night when a storm hit and a powerful wave threw them from the vessel.
One of the men made it back to the 19-foot bass-fishing-type boat. The other was missing, and a search was launched to find him, independentmail.com reported.
After three days, the search is over.
The body of Martin Acevedo was discovered in Lake Hartwell Wednesday, and he was identified by the Anderson County Coroner's Office, according to wyff4.com.
The Clemson University alum's body was recovered around noon by the Anderson Technical Rescue Team, wspa.com reported.
With the help of sonar equipment, the 26-year-old was found in 137 foot deep water near Portman Marina, according to foxcarolina.com, which reported that the water temperature was 52 degrees.
Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown ruled Acevedo's death a drowning and said his body showed no other sign of injuries, independentmail.com reported.
The search for Acevedo began shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, and continued through the Memorial Day holiday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Conditions were less than ideal as searchers both endured and were limited by rain and wind on the lake, according to wspa.com.
Acevedo's 26th birthday was Monday, and his family spent it at Lake Hartwell as the search continued, independentmail.com reported.
"They cried with us and prayed with us," Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said to greenvilleonline.com. "We all hoped for a better result. Most of us knew him, because he was a first responder like us. When one of us hurts, we all do."
Acevedo was a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Pendleton, according to greenvilleonline.com.
He was also a bluegrass musician. During his time at Clemson, he helped form Tigertown Roots, playing banjo for the university's bluegrass ensemble.
His loss was felt throughout the music community.
"We are sure that the worldwide bluegrass community will join us in sharing deepest condolences to Martin’s family and friends," blugrasstoday.com wrote. "R.I.P., Martin Acevedo."
This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Clemson alum's body is found three days after he was thrown from a boat, SC coroner says."