Airman stationed in South Carolina drowned after jumping into lake, coroner says

The person who recently died while swimming in a South Carolina lake has been identified as a member of the U.S. Air Force, according to the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office.

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Carlen Hailey, a 23-year-old airman stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, is the person who died in what Coroner Chris Hill called an accidental drowning. Hailey is originally from Los Angeles, California, the coroner’s office said in a news release.

Hailey died in Lake Wateree on June 18, according to the release.

Hailey was on a pontoon boat in the lake and jumped into the water, the coroner’s office said. Hailey, who was unable to swim, began to struggle and went under the water and never resurfaced, according to the release.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources divers were among many emergency responders who searched for Hailey, and ultimately recovered his body in about 25 feet of water, officials said. The maximum depth in the lake is about 225 feet, according to SCDNR.

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An autopsy was completed with Newberry Pathology on Monday, the coroner’s office said.

Lake Wateree is a more than 13,000 acre lake created in 1920. It is peppered with residential development, as well as public access points, and is a popular summer recreational spot for boaters, anglers and swimmers. It is about 30 miles from Columbia in Fairfield, Kershaw and Lancaster counties.

Staff reporter Sammy Fretwell contributed to this story.