Missing teens’ bodies found after jumping into South Carolina lake, officials say
MAY 28 UPDATE: Pickens County Sheriff’s Office officials said there was no evidence to support that the boys jumped off the bridge as part of a challenge or dare. Earlier reports suggested a dare led the boys to jump into Lake Hartwell.
MAY 21 UPDATE: On May 20, the bodies of two missing teen swimmers were found in Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. The friends were D.W. Daniel High School students in a group chat daring people to jump from a bridge, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office told WYFF and WHNS.
The Pickens County Coroner’s Office in a news release identified the teenagers as 15-year-old Zakaria Chaar of Central and 16-year-old Rayan Alnasser of Clemson. McClatchy News has reached out to deputies for additional information.
The original story is below.
Two friends are still missing after a group of three jumped into a South Carolina lake, crews told news outlets.
A boater found the third person and pulled them out of the water, Billy Gibson, Pickens County director of Emergency Services, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
As of early Monday, May 20, crews continued to search Lake Hartwell for signs of the two remaining swimmers. They disappeared in an area with murky water that’s roughly 15 feet deep and not well-traveled, according to Gibson.
Tuleen Al Naseer told WSPA the two missing people are her younger brother — described as “kind” and “smart” — and her brother’s best friend.
“You never think it would happen to you until I guess it happens to you,” Al Naseer told the TV station.
The emergency services department was called a report of people jumping into the lake at about 10:30 p.m. May 18. They disappeared near the town of Central, a roughly 25-mile drive southwest from Greenville.
The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office said two of the swimmers, who were part of a group of friends, were nowhere to be found, according to WYFF and WHNS.
Crews started using a dive team to look underwater, but a lightning storm soon made the effort shift to sonar technology. Divers later rejoined the multi-agency search, according to Gibson.
Lake Hartwell is a popular place for fishing and other water activities. The 56,000-acre body of water lies along the Georgia border.
The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately share additional information about the search with McClatchy News on May 20.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Missing teens’ bodies found after jumping into South Carolina lake, officials say."
