Body of missing boater recovered from Lake Norman, searchers say

A body has been recovered after a day-long search for a missing boater on Lake Norman north of Charlotte, according to Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue.

The boater was identified as South Mecklenburg High student Keith Austin by WSOC, the Observer’s news partner. He was 16.

First responders began their search around 9 p.m. Saturday, July 1, in hopes of a rescue, officials said. It was believed the boater went missing around marker D9, but searchers eventually moved to the area near The Sandbar Lake Norman (D5).

The search became a recovery effort Sunday afternoon, as teams from Cornelius and Sherrills Ford endured “extremely rough lake conditions and brutal temperatures,” Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue wrote in a Facebook post.

Details of when the boater was reported missing have not been released.

Cornelius police and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are handling the investigation, officials said.

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