A search along the Broad River near Blacksburg, South Carolina ended in tragedy Saturday night when a missing man was found in shallow water.
John Daniel Ratcliffe, 38, had traveled from York County to spend the afternoon with friends near the Duke Energy hydro dam on 99 Island Road, arriving around 3 p.m.
As daylight began to fade, the casual outing turned into a panic when his friends realized John was missing from the group.
Friends launched a search around 8:20 p.m., combing the area near the hydro dam for half an hour before making a horrifying discovery.
At about 8:50 p.m., a friend spotted John lying face down in just three feet of river water, still fully clothed.
The friend pulled John from the water while emergency crews rushed to the scene, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler confirmed John died at the scene, while friends revealed he could not swim, raising questions about how he ended up in the water.
Leave a Reply