Body of man who drowned in Spanaway Lake recovered

SPANAWAY, Wash. — The body of a 69-year-old man who drowned in Spanaway Lake on Friday has been recovered, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said.

At 5:03 p.m., 911 dispatchers received a call about a report of a drowning at Spanaway Lake Park.

A 911 caller told dispatchers that a man jumped from a boat into the water to fix the propeller but did not resurface after a few minutes, prompting the 911 call.

When divers from the Pierce County Metro Dive Team and Marine Services Unit arrived, two divers attempted to rescue the man, but he could not be found due to minimal visibility and because divers could not pinpoint the last place he was seen, law enforcement said.

As time passed, rescuers switched their efforts to a recovery mission last night, but they had to halt the recovery until 7 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities said at around 9:45 a.m. Saturday, they were able to find and recover the man’s body with the use of sonar.

The investigation is ongoing.

©2022 Cox Media Group