Body of missing 85-year-old fisherman found by his family in SC lake, coroner says
The body of an 85-year-old man was found in a lake after he went missing on a South Carolina fishing trip, officials said.
Wallace Edward Curtis reportedly had set out on Lake Jocassee before relatives grew concerned that he hadn’t come back home on Tuesday afternoon.
The Oconee County Coroner’s Office said family members called Curtis’ cellphone, and a person who answered the call told them a “boat was adrift” nearby.
Curtis’ family went to that same area and spotted his body in the water, the coroner’s office said. Officials estimate he was found in roughly 10 feet of water and 20 yards from a boat ramp.
Curtis, a Pickens resident, died at the scene, officials said in a news release.
Coroner Karl Addis said the 85-year-old may have been trying to put his boat on a trailer after he went fishing. His death was reported as an apparent drowning.
Lake Jocassee is a popular fishing, swimming and diving destination roughly 40 miles northwest of Greenville. The public can access the 7,500-acre body of water from Devils Fork State Park.
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