Update: Coroner IDs 72-year-old boater recovered from Waccamaw River Thursday

A 72-year-old man has been identified by the Georgetown County Coroner’s Office as the person recovered from the Waccamaw River bank by search crews Thursday.

Fred Walters, 72, of Pawleys Island, was recovered after crews found his boat idling and empty, prompting a search.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday at MUSC, according to coroner Chase Ridgeway.

Dive team members removed his body from the river about 12:15 p.m. He was apparently fishing near the marina’s canal near the Reserve Harbor Yacht Club, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Department.

Agencies were called to the river near The Reserve Marina in Pawleys Island, including Midway Fire, Murrells Inlet Fire Rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Horry County dive team. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources responded, as well as the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.

Sonar equipment was deployed in the search.

This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 11:49 AM.