Teen on boating trip with family drowns on North Carolina lake, officials say
A teenage swimmer was found dead after he vanished on a North Carolina lake, officials said.
The boy was on a boating trip with family when he and other children reportedly went for a swim. He wasn’t wearing a life jacket and disappeared under the water on Wednesday, June 1, officials told WXII.
At about 5:30 p.m., crews started searching for the boy. His body was found more than two hours later, said Brandon Gentry, director of emergency services for Stokes County, according to WGHP video from a news conference.
Officials in a news release didn’t identify the person who drowned but said a “juvenile” died on Belews Lake. The area offers water activities roughly 25 miles northwest of Greensboro.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said two families were on the lake when they pulled their boat over near the shore. The teenager was swimming in the water before he was reported missing, prompting rescue agencies to bring in sonar equipment and a dive team, according to WFMY.
The teen was found dead in up to 30 feet of water, officials told news outlets. His body was taken to a medical examiner’s office.
“All of the responders would like to express our condolences to the family,” Stokes County Emergency Management said in its release.
The boy died about two weeks after state wildlife officials urged people to take precautions on the water.
“We cannot stress how important it is for you to wear a personal flotation device, or PFD, while boating, whether it be recreating, swimming or fishing,” Capt. Branden Jones of the wildlife commission said in the earlier news release. “In 2021, 23 people lost their lives on North Carolina waters; 16 of them were not wearing a life vest.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Teen on boating trip with family drowns on North Carolina lake, officials say."
