Search for boater ends when teen’s body found in Lake Murray, officials say

The search for a missing boater in Lake Murray ended when a body was recovered, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

At about 6:30 p.m. Monday, DNR reported that officers, investigators and divers were involved in a search for a missing boater in a portion of Lake Murray that’s in Saluda County.

The search began after a boat was found in the popular Midlands lake with no one on board, according to DNR.

The dive team used side scan sonar to find and recover the body of the missing boater, a DNR spokesman told The State on Tuesday. The body was found at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Saluda County Coroner’s Office.

Bryson L. Burns, a 17-year-old Lexington resident, was the victim, Coroner Angie Rita said. Information about the teenager’s cause of death has not been announced, but an autopsy is scheduled for later in the week, according to Rita.

Burns was the only person aboard a small jon boat when he apparently fell into the water earlier in the afternoon, Rita said.

Despite the recovery, the death continues to be investigated by DNR, the coroner’s office and the South Carolina law Enforcement Division’s Child Fatality Unit.

The Saluda County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search.

There was no word about the depth of the water in the lake where the boater was found.

The average depth in Lake Murray is 41.5 feet, but it can go as far down as 200 feet, according to DNR. Lake Murray has 620 miles of shoreline and portions of it are located in Lexington, Richland, Newberry and Saluda counties.

This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 8:38 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription