LAKE WATEREE — A 23-year-old airman stationed at Shaw Air Force Base drowned in Lake Wateree last week after jumping from a pontoon boat, authorities said Tuesday.
Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill identified the airman as Carlen Hailey. Hailey, originally of Los Angeles, was a resident of the Air Force base in Sumter.
According to the coroner’s office, Hailey was on a pontoon boat on Thursday, June 18 when he jumped into the lake. According to the report, Hailey did not know how to swim and began to struggle shortly after entering the water.
Hailey went under the surface and never resurfaced. Recovery teams later located his body in approximately 25 feet of water on the Fairfield County side of the lake.
An autopsy was completed Monday by Newberry Pathology. Hill confirmed the cause of death was accidental drowning.