PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC (WBTW) – The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recovered the body of an elderly man who went missing after jumping into the Waccamaw River Sunday afternoon.
According to Captain Robert McCullough, SC DNR received a call around 9:30 p.m. Sunday regarding a missing swimmer at Hagley’s Landing near Pawleys Island.
McCullough said the elderly male had been fishing with his wife and another couple. When they docked the boat and anchored, the man jumped in the water to cool off. The river’s current caught the elderly man and pulled him under, McCullough said.
Georgetown County Deputy Coroner Chase Ridgeway identifies the victim as 75-year-old George Wharff of Yalaha, Florida. Wharff’s body was recovered near where he was last seen. There were no signs of trauma to the body, adds Ridgeway.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to confirm drowning as the cause of death, says Ridgeway.
