GREENSBORO, Ga. -- A 17-year-old boy drowned in Lake Oconee Sunday evening at Old Salem Campground, according to police.
Greene County authorities said Jalen Neal is the second victim to drown at the campground in the past month.
The victim was swimming in the campground’s beach area when he went underwater and stayed there for several minutes before being pulled from the water. Family and witnesses were able to pull him to shore, according to Public Affairs Officer Mark McKinnon with the DNR.
Two witnesses performed CPR on him before EMS arrived but Neal was unresponsive when Greene County Fire and Rescue got to him. He was pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro, Ga.
McKinnon said the coroner will conduct an autopsy but that the cause of death appears to be an accidental drowning.
This is the second drowning at Old Salem Campground on Lake Oconee in the past month. Sammie Keith Knight’s body was pulled from the water by Greene County deputies on May 16. Police said the 61-year-old’s drowning may have the result of a medical emergency while sitting on a public access dock.
