Fort Mill kayaker drowns in York County in Catawba River at Tega Cay, officials say
A kayaker from York County who had been reported missing was found dead late Sunday in the Catawba River in Tega Cay, officials said.
Shi Li Zheng, 41, of Fort Mill, died from an apparent drowning, said York County Coroner Sabrina Gast.
Zheng was kayaking with family, Gast said. Zheng went into the water to assist a family member and didn’t resurface, Gast said.
The body was found around 9:30 p.m., according to a statement from the Tega Cay Police Department.
The area was off Dam Road at the upper end of the river below the lake dam, emergency officials said.
The York County Sheriff’s Office dive team, S.C. Department of Natural Resources agents, and Tega Cay fire and police searched the water after 6 p.m. when the swimmer had been reported missing, according to law enforcement and fire department officials.
Dive team officials found Zheng in the water, Gast said.
During the search officials from the fire department closed the water access area at Dam Road, according to Glyn Hasty, chief of the Tega Cay Fire Department.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 9:10 AM.
