Sgt. Rob Snaza launches the sheriff’s office boat at the Ike Kinswa State Park on Lake Mayfield. / Courtesy photo by Marty Hayes
Updated at 6:47 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Authorities are looking for a possible drowning victim at Lake Mayfield, following a 911 call about 2:30 p.m. today.
Firefighters from Salkum and Mossyrock responded to the boat launch at Ike Kinswa State Park expecting to conduct a rescue, and scoured the banks for about an hour, according to Lewis County Fire District 8 Chief Duran McDaniel.
Both the sheriff’s office and the Mossyrock Fire Department launched their boats, with members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office water rescue team responding as well.
A local man said he and another man had been diving off a nearby bluff, McDaniel said. There’s no approved swimming area or even any good swimming areas there, McDaniel said.
“One guy dived in and he thought the other guy dived in behind him,” McDaniel said.
But once deputies learned from the man the incident had occurred about 11:30 a.m., the fire departments were released from the scene, McDaniel said.
For whatever reason, the one man had already been home and come back to the lake, McDaniel said.
McDaniel said he it wasn’t clear at all what happened. The depth of the water beneath the bluff is about 100 feet, he said.
“We don’t know the status of the person,” McDaniel said. “It’s in the sheriff’s office hands.”
Sheriff’s Sgt. Rob Snaza said they finished their work on the water about 4:20 p.m., but the sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate this evening.
“I have no names or anything to give out,” Snaza said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Scanner , you a funny Dude or Dudette?
In the short report the FD received it was that an intoxicated male had called and said him and another man who had been drinking were diving off the cliff and that the other man had not surfaced. Kind of what happens when someone says ” hey, let’s get drunk and dive off a cliff ” The natural selection process does work in Lewis County….Go Darwin…
This doesn’t sound suspicious at all. /sarcasm off
Let me guess……was there Beer involved?
Odd situation.