Body found in South Carolina lake has been identified by coroner
A South Carolina man’s body was recently recovered from a lake in the Midlands, according to the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office.
The body of Fairfield County resident Robert Wright was found on the morning of Jan. 17, the coroner’s office said Tuesday in a news release. Information about Wright’s age was not available.
A boater made the grim discovery in a portion of Lake Monticello that’s in Blair, according to the release. In addition to the coroner’s office, members of the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Fairfield County Rescue Squad responded to Lake Monticello.
Members of the coroner’s office confirmed Wright was dead and that recovery efforts were performed, according to the release.
Wright was fishing on the bank of the lake and, for an unknown reason, went into the water, the coroner’s office said.
There were no signs of foul play and that has been ruled out, according to the release.
No other injuries were reported.
Although the coroner’s office identified the incident as a drowning, no cause of death has been determined. An autopsy has been scheduled with Newberry Pathology to make that determination, according to the release.
The coroner’s office is continuing to investigate Wright’s death.
Information about the distance from where Wright was last seen to where his body was recovered was not available. There was no word about the depth of water in the lake where the body was found.
Lake Monticello covers 6,700 acres, has 54 miles of shoreline and has a maximum depth of about 89 feet, according to SCDNR.
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This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Body found in South Carolina lake has been identified by coroner."
