Man with ‘smile that would light up room’ found submerged in Lake Murray, officials say
A South Carolina man’s body was recently found submerged in Lake Murray, the Lexington County Coroner’s Office said.
Recovery and investigation
On July 27, the body of 43-year-old Gaston resident Jonathan Lee Shealy was recovered by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team, Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release.
At about 7:30 p.m., Shealy was discovered underwater in an area of Lake Murray near Dawn Island Trail, in the Chapin area, according to the release.
Information about what Shealy was doing in the lake was not available.
An incident report said a witness saw Shealy “struggling to swim and stay afloat,” as he called for help and splashed in the water, the Lexington County Chronicle reported.
There was no word about when the sheriff’s department was alerted, or the depth of the water where Shealy’s body was recovered.
The average depth in Lake Murray is 41.5 feet, but it can go as far down as 200 feet, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Lake Murray has 620 miles of shoreline and portions of it are located in Lexington, Richland, Newberry and Saluda counties.
An autopsy was performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on July 29, but no cause of death was released to the public.
Both the coroner’s office and sheriff’s department are continuing to investigate Shealy’s death.
Memorial
Shealy is survived by three children among other family members, according to his obituary shared by Barr-Price Funeral Home.
Shealy had “larger-than-life personality” and “a smile that would light up the room as soon as he walked in,” the obituary said.
A visitation for Shealy was held Sunday.
“He will be greatly missed by all those who were lucky enough to know him,” the obituary said.
Other water deaths
There have been several other water deaths reported in the Midlands in the previous three months.
On July 12, an 18-year-old who recently graduated from Andrew Jackson High School was swimming with friends in Lake Wateree when he fatally drowned, according to the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office.
On July 1, a 25-year-old Great Falls man was fishing with family in a portion of Lake Wateree in Ridgeway when he went into the lake to retrieve fishing equipment and went under, the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office said. He drowned and died, according to the Fairfield County coroner.
Also in Lake Wateree on June 18, a 37-year-old man was swimming with family when he disappeared under water for more than an hour and died, the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office said.
On June 13, a 67-year-old South Carolina man’s body was recovered in the Newberry County portion of Lake Murray, according to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.
On June 10, a 13-year-old was pulled from Kendall Lake in Camden and later died after being flown to Prisma Health Richland, the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office said.
On May 5, a 15-year-old Camden High School student died following a boating accident while fishing on the Wateree River, according to the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office.
