Nearly a dozen people have drowned in Myrtle Beach area waters this year. What we know
As an historically punishing summer heat wave continues, the Grand Strand’s soothing beaches and rivers are sure to be a popular spot for thousands of locals and visitors over the next few weeks.
And while most of those boaters, fishermen and swimmers will get home safely with no more than a sunburn, others won’t be as lucky.
Since January, nearly a dozen people between the ages of 2 and 72 have died in the region’s waters: Most recently on July 20, when a longtime church deacon was recovered after crews found his boat idling and empty on the Waccamaw River in Pawleys Island.
That same day, a 20-year-old reportedly disappeared around 25th Ave. S in Myrtle Beach. Crews announced Saturday they were suspending the search, which was made even more difficult by crushing heat and and rip currents.
Other dramatic scenes have played out in the region as well.
Tyler Doyle disappeared while duck hunting and became a national story
The 22-year-old Loris man and expectant father went missing after his jon boat sank Jan. 26 in the Little River area.
Doyle’s wallet and waders were found off the North Carolina coast on Jan. 31, but offered no clues as to his potential whereabouts. Weeks of searching by federal, local and state crews along with dozens of volunteers were fruitless.
On Feb. 14, the state Department of Natural Resources announced that foul play wasn’t suspected. As recently as May, an agency spokesman said officials are still looking for Doyle. Meanwhile, Doyle’s wife Lakelyn gave birth to the couple’s first child in April.
February saw the drowning of a toddler and U.S. Navy recovery crews
On Feb. 9, a 60-ton U.S. Navy Landing Air Craft Cushion idled in the sand near a North Myrtle Beach access point in the city’s Cherry Grove area, taking on supplies that would be shuttled back out to sea to aid crews recovering debris from a Chinese spy balloon shot down days earlier off the South Carolina coast.
Tragedy struck Cherry Grove two weeks later, when 2-year-old D’Anthony Barron Mitchell Jr. drowned Feb. 21 in a body of water outside an Airbnb the family had rented.
Five people died in June, and an historic bridge sustained heavy damage after a watery wreck
Tre’Sean Snow, 16, died a hero. The Fayetteville, N.C. teen drowned June 6 at Huntington Beach State Park while attempting to help a child who was struggling in the ocean.
Six days later, 23-year-old Demeatrius Chandler Jr., of Socastee, was killed when his vehicle plunged into the Intracoastal Waterway after striking the Socastee Swing Bridge, forcing it closure for nearly a week. Relatives said Chandler had a history of seizures and believe that could have led to the wreck.
On June 18, 24-year-old Jacob Williams fell into the water near Peachtree Landing in Socastee when the jon boat he was in struck a dock. Authorities recovered his body the next day.
Like Snow’s death earlier in the month, Derrell Lambert sacrificed his life to save another.
The 70-year-old West Columbia was visiting a Pawleys Island beach with his family when his 9-year-old grandson began struggling in the water on June 21.
Nearby swimmers pulled Lambert to shore and began performing emergency care, but he died a short time later at an area hospital.
The daughter of a retired pro soccer player died in July after being thrown from a boat
The month began with the Horry County Coroner’s Office announcing July 5 that 18-year-old Daniel Rowe of Acworth, Georgia, died two weeks after being pulled from the ocean near a downtown Myrtle Beach access point.
An online memorial said Rowe just completed his freshman year at Kennesaw State University and was in the city for spring break.
On July 6, the state Department of Natural Resources said on Twitter that a multi-boat collision on the Intracoastal Waterway resulted in several injuries, including one person who was critical. No more information on that incident was immediately available.
Brad Knighton called his daughter, 11-year-old Olivia, “beautiful and brilliant” in an Instagram post published hours after she was struck by a boat propeller along the Intracoastal Waterway in Little River on July 19.
Knighton spent 16 seasons as a Major League Soccer goalkeeper before his retirement this year.
The goalie’s former team, the New England Revolution, posted a tribute on social media as well. “Olivia was a bright and shining light who was a beloved presence around the Revolution throughout her entire life, always bringing a warm smile and laugh to Gillette Stadium and our training facility when she would visit.”
That same day in North Myrtle Beach, vacationer Luis Luna sprung into action after noticing a man floating face up but unresponsive near 54th Avenue. Police said the 30-year-old man remained unresponsive in an area hospital as of July 21.
And on July 20, authorities said they recovered the body of 72-year-old Fred Walters, of Pawleys Island, after finding his boat empty and idling near the Waccamaw River bank.
Walters earned a law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1979. In 2009, he was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church, serving several parishes including Holy Cross Faith Memorial in Pawleys Island, according to his obituary.
