SOUTH CAROLINA — A missing person search in Oconee County has concluded after a man was found dead Monday in Lake Hartwell, according to county officials.
The Oconee County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as Douglas John Olin Edmond Jr., 50, of Seneca. Officials said Edmond’s body was discovered around 5:40 p.m. at a depth of approximately 36 feet in a cove of Lake Hartwell, near the Timberlake One subdivision close to Townville.
Investigators believe Edmond died Saturday, Dec. 20, while attempting to cross a cove in a small boat while deer hunting. That morning, a deputy with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a boat ramp after receiving a third-party report of someone requesting help. No individual was located at the time, but an older-model Ford pickup truck was found in the parking lot.
Deputies returned to the area on Tuesday, Dec. 23, for a welfare check after the same vehicle remained unoccupied. Authorities determined the truck belonged to Edmond. Searches of the boat ramp area and Edmond’s residence did not locate him.
Edmond was officially reported missing by family members on Sunday, Dec. 28. A search effort involving Oconee County Emergency Services, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the sheriff’s office marine unit began shortly afterward. Officials said Edmond’s truck remained at the boat ramp, but he was not found.
The search resumed Monday, Dec. 29, when divers with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources located Edmond’s body in the lake.
An autopsy has been ordered to assist with the death investigation. The investigation remains ongoing, and Oconee County officials said additional details surrounding the circumstances of Edmond’s death have not yet been confirmed.
