72-year-old found face down in popular South Carolina lake, coroner says
A 72-year-old man found face down in a popular South Carolina lake has died, officials said.
First responders were called to Lake Keowee after a 911 caller reported a possible boating incident on Sunday, July 24, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies in a case report said the man was found “floating in the water face down.” Officials tried to resuscitate the man, who later was pronounced dead from an accidental drowning.
The Oconee County Coroner’s Office identified him in a news release as Larry Kenneth Wheeler of Greer.
The incident was reported at about 10:45 p.m. on Lake Keowee, which offers fishing, boating and other water activities roughly 35 miles west of Greenville.
Officials said the 72-year-old died near the town of West Union and the Backwater Landing housing development, which describes itself as a “private gated lakefront community.” A 911 caller reported that Wheeler might have hit rocks while boating alone.
“It is believed he fell from his boat,” the coroner’s office wrote.
As of July 25, the man’s death was under investigation, WHNS reported.
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on July 25.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 2:17 PM with the headline "72-year-old found face down in popular South Carolina lake, coroner says."
