Pennsylvania man visiting SC for wedding party drowns in Lake Hartwell

A Pennsylvania man visiting South Carolina to attend a wedding drowned in Lake Hartwell early Saturday morning, authorities said.

The body of 26-year-old Kellen Jerome Mackey was found before noon Saturday after a 911 call was first made at about 2:15 a.m. Saturday about a missing person who was presumed drowned, the Oconee County Coroner’s Office said.

The coroner’s office said Mackey reportedly got into a kayak on the lake and it overturned. Mackey was not wearing a personal flotation device and could not swim, the coroner’s office reported it was told.

Fox Carolina reported Mackey was on the lake with two other men, who both returned. None of the men were wearing life jackets, the station reported.

The drowning occurred in the Martin Creek area of Lake Hartwell near Seneca, the coroner’s office said.

A New Brighton, Pennsylvania, resident, Mackey was in South Carolina attending a wedding party at a home off Cartee Road, the coroner’s office said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 5:34 PM.

Maayan Schechter

The State

Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter) is the senior editor of The State’s politics and government team. She has covered the S.C. State House and politics for The State since 2017. She grew up in Atlanta, Ga. and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2013. She previously worked at the Aiken Standard and the Greenville News. She has won reporting awards in South Carolina. Support my work with a digital subscription