Upstate teen who died in Pacolet River identified

An 18-year-old was found dead in the Pacolet River Wednesday evening after witnesses and friends say he dived into the river and never resurfaced.

William Jacob “Jake” Seay, of Penarth Road in Spartanburg, was pronounced dead at the Pacolet River near the Pacolet Reservoir off Sunny Acres Road.

Cowpens Fire Department, Pacolet Fire Department and the Spartanburg County dive team responded to the scene to search for the teen after receiving a call for a possible drowning.

Seay was found around 7 p.m.

Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said an investigation is ongoing and toxicology results are pending.

Damarrius Rodgers, 16, didn't know Seay or the group of friends Seay was with but saw them jumping from a rock into the river while he was fishing nearby.

“He either hit a rock or tree or something, and all I saw was blood and everyone rushed over to try to save him, but they couldn't find his body. ... Everyone panicked,” Rodgers said.

He said the rock was about 25 feet high and that Seay chose to dive into the water headfirst.

“I'm just a little shook up. I've never seen anything like that in my life,” Rodgers said. “He dove in and never came back up. … I'm terrified now for the simple fact that that could've been me or one of my friends.”

Parents in the community showed up at the river's bank before Seay's body was found. Some said they had not heard from their children, and they came out of fear that their child may have been involved.

Close friends of Seay's gathered near the river as crews continued to investigate, many of them grieving and consoling one another.

The group declined to comment.

Stacey Brown is the mother of one of Seay's close friends and said the group is devastated.

She said the friends had been coming to that particular spot on the Pacolet River for about a week, taking videos of each other jumping from the rock and “having a great time.”

“These are all my kids so I lost one of my babies today,” she said, adding that she is like a second mom to many of those in the group of friends.

She said Seay made an impression on those in his life.

“Jake was always laughing and smiling. You never saw Jake without a smile on his face. … He was just a fun-loving kid,” she said.

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 8:00 PM.