Colleton and Dorchester County emergency personnel and State DNR officers responded to the Colleton State Park on the Edisto River for a drowning incident, Saturday afternoon 5-June. 9-1-1 was notified at 1331 reporting an adult and a child had gone under the water and were missing. The child was later found safe before units arrived. Firefighters walked the banks on both sides of the river, searched around the bridge and searched with boats and pike poles for two hours. Visibility was only a few feet in the black water river. Fire-Rescue placed several divers in the water who found the 20 year old Hispanic male on the river bottom approximately fifteen yards from where he was last seen.  His body was recovered and the Colleton County Coroner’s Office was notified. The man’s family was at the scene.

Colleton County units included Engine 5, Engine 19, Engine 26, Medic 19, Medic 26, Squad 27, Marine 27 and Battalion 1. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.