Divers recover body of 13-year-old girl from river in Chesterfield County, officials say

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — Crews recovered the body of a 13-year-old girl who officials say was last seen swimming in the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency medical services and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said the girl was swimming with another teenager, also 13 years old, who was able to make it out of the water.

Officials said the two teens have been to Laney Landing in Cheraw to swim earlier this week.

The two were in the river Wednesday but struggled against the strong current.

One teen tried to help the other get to the bank but couldn’t, officials said.

A dive team was called in and about 35 minutes later, they recovered the missing teen’s body.

“Unfortunately, it is connected to our church,” Rev. Samuel Richardson III said Wednesday night. “It was a relative of one of our members, and so that hits home.”

Richardson and other leaders opened the church doors for the girls’ families while they waited to hear from officials.

“The family was in the heat,” he said. “The suggestion was, ‘Let’s open our fellowship hall, so they would be out of the heat and be in a place of cool and comfort while things unfolded.’”

This is a developing story. Return to this story for updates.

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