Story by Chris Lawrence
SUTTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Natural Resources Police are engaged in the search for a man missing and presumed drowned at Sutton Lake. The incident happened just before noon Monday at the lake and according to the agency, the victim is a 25-year old man from the Charleston area.
He was with family and had a rented boat from the lake’s marina which was equipped with a slide for swimming. A child in the party was wearing a lifejacket. Witnesses tell the DNR when the child slid off the boat and into the water, the life jacket either came off or slipped in such a way it through the child into a struggle to stay above water.
Lt. Mike Coberly with the Natural Resources Police said the man jumped into the water to help the struggling child.
“In so doing he was able to push the child and get the child safely back to the boat, but he then slipped beneath the surface of the water and they did not see him after that time,” said Coberly.
The DNR’s dive team is on scene conducting a search under the water and other officers are searching the surface and surrounding shore.
“He was heroic in his efforts in assisting the child and making sure the child got back safely, but now has succumbed to a drowning. That’s the belief at this point anyway,” Coberly added.
The family has remained nearby as the search effort continued. The victim’s name has not been released.