No foul play suspected after 18-year-old drowns in SC lake, officials say

By Kari Barrows

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    ANDERSON COUNTY, South Carolina (WLOS) — An 18-year-old was found dead over the weekend at a popular lake in Upstate South Carolina after an apparent drowning.

Officials say Louiz Pontez-Farias, 18, of Cornelius, North Carolina, was reported missing around 1:20 p.m. Friday afternoon, June 30 from the 700 block of Sunny Shore Lane in Anderson. Emergency crews responded to the area of Lake Hartwell to investigate and search for Pontez-Farias soon after the missing persons report was filed.

Investigators located the 18-year-old’s body around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, about 5 feet from a boat dock in the area.

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A press release from the Anderson County Coroner’s Office says the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene due to freshwater drowning.

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore wrote in a press release that the investigation indicated the victim and a few other individuals were at a rental residence on vacation at the time. Pontez-Farias was last spoken to around 3 or 4 a.m. Friday. Friends told investigators they thought he had gone to bed, however, they couldn’t find him Friday afternoon.

“There appears to be no indication of foul play and the manner of death has been ruled accidental,” Shore reported in his release.

The investigation is ongoing by the Anderson County Office of the Coroner and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

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