Columbia, SC (WLTX) — Search crews recovered the body of a drowning victim at Lake Murray Sunday morning, according to Capt. Robert McCullough with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
The body was recovered around 11 a.m. in about 45 feet of water in the area between Susie Ebert Island and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxilliary Station, according to McCullough.
Search crews had resumed the search Sunday morning using new sonar equipment to aid in the search. McCullough credited the new sonar technology as a huge help in the search.
SCDNR was originally called to the scene of a possible drowning in Lake Murray Saturday afternoon after the Richland County Sheriff's Department responded to the call around 6:15 p.m. According to deputies, a witness said a man jumped into Lake Murray from a pontoon boat to cool off, but did not resurface.
Crews with RCSD's Marine Patrol, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and rescue workers were on the scene Saturday evening, searching an area about 500 yards off the Coast Guard station, deputies say.
Just a week earlier, a Lexington man drowned at Laker Murray on Father's Day while boating with his family. His body was recovered earlier this week.
Related Coverage: 47-year-old Lexington Man Identified as Lake Murray Drowning Victim