Divers search for missing boater who might have drowned in Lake Murray, SC officials say
A search is underway for a missing person in Lake Murray, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday.
At this point, the search is likely a recovery mission.
The person who was last seen Sunday afternoon was described as a possible drowning victim, according to a news release from South Carolina DNR spokesman Greg Lucas.
On late Sunday afternoon, a person on a pontoon boat with friends jumped into the water and did not resurface, Lucas said. The missing boater was last seen in the area near Acapulco Island and Dreher Island State Park in Lexington County.
Information on the depth of the water in that area of the lake was not available.
The DNR dive team began searching for the missing boater Monday, and continued looking in Lake Murray Tuesday, according to the release.
South Carolina DNR aviation is making routine flights as well, and field officers are also involved in the search, Lucas said.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is assisting in the search.
This is not the first search for a missing boater in Lake Murray this year.
About two weeks ago, the body of a 72-year-old Saluda man was recovered July 20, the day after he fell off a boat and disappeared in Lake Murray. The body was found in the area of the lake near Little River Landing, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said.
In June, the DNR said it recovered the body of a missing boater near the Lake Murray dam. Officials said the death was an accidental drowning, WPDE reported.
In April, the DNR dive team recovered the body of a male boater after he fell overboard around Buffalo Creek near the Grant Williams Estates, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said. The man was a Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, resident who was visiting Lake Murray with his wife, according to DNR.
In late 2021, the body of another man who went missing on Lake Murray was recovered after several days.
On Oct. 26, a 36-year-old man disappeared after he got on his boat at a Lake Murray marina off U.S. 378 about 3 a.m., law enforcement officers told The State. The boat was found near Spence’s Point, but it wasn’t until Nov. 6 that his body was recovered. The Lexington County Coroner’s Office said no foul play was suspected.
