Fair Play death — drowning

Just before 6 this morning Karl Addis, the Oconee coroner, made this announcement:

“A death investigation is being conducted after the recovery of a body from Lake Hartwell (Tugaloo River basin) at Fair Play near the SC / GA state line.  The body of an African American male was found within the jurisdiction of Oconee County.

At approximately 10 pm Monday night, Franklin County, Georgia sheriff department personnel initiated a traffic stop in the northbound lane of I-85 near mile marker 169.  The traffic stop was initiated for a vehicle traveling at approximately 125 mph.

The vehicle was a red 2014 Dodge Charger registered to a female individual in Greenwood, SC.

At the state line, on the bridge which crosses Lake Hartwell (Tugaloo River), this vehicle would strike a second vehicle prior to impacting the bridge guardrail.  The male driver exited the vehicle and was observed to jump from the bridge into the lake on the South Carolina side.

Deputies with Franklin County observed him attempting to swim in the water, called out to him and attempted to throw a rope to him to rescue; he was last seen going beneath the bridge.

His body was located and recovered at approximately 2 am in a water depth of 26 feet.

A tentative identification for the subject has been made, however two photo identifications with two different names was discovered on him. He has distinctive tattoos which will be used for identification confirmation.  This office will also request assistance from the Anderson County Coroner’s Office to utilize a digital fingerprint scanner in hopes of making a positive identification.

The Oconee County Coroner’s Office has requested assistance from the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Department and Abbeville Police Department in an attempt to locate the vehicle owner; this attempt has been unsuccessful at the time of this press release.

An autopsy will be scheduled for Wednesday to assist with the death investigation.”