Man swimming with family in Midlands lake disappeared under the water, SC coroner says

A death is under investigation after a Midlands man disappeared under water for more than an hour Sunday, the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office said in a news release.

Coroner Chris Hill said his office responded to the scene of a drowning in Lake Wateree at about 3:15 p.m., according to Tuesday’s release. The drowning happened in a portion of the lake in Ridgeway, the coroner’s office said.

Johnny Mack Simmons, a 37-year-old Winnsboro resident, was swimming in the lake with family, according to the release.

At one point Simmons went under water and did not resurface, the coroner’s office said.

His family called 911 and multiple Fairfield County agencies responded in an attempt to find Simmons, according to the release.

About an hour and a half later, Simmons body was recovered and taken to the coroner’s office, Hill said.

No other injuries were reported.

Information about where in the lake the body was recovered, the depth of the water, and the distance that is from where Simmons was last seen was not available.

No official cause of death was released, but an autopsy is scheduled for this week, according to the release. The coroner’s office called Simmons’ death an accident.

The death continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

This is at least the third water death in the Midlands in little more than a week.

On June 13, a 67-year-old South Carolina man’s body was recovered in the Newberry County portion of Lake Murray, according to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.

On June 10, a 13-year-old was pulled from Kendall Lake in Camden and later died after being flown to Prisma Health Richland, the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office said.