Cause of death unknown
The SCDNR and the Berkeley (SC) County Coroner’s Office have reported two anglers were found dead floating near a boat on Santee Cooper’s lower lake on Jan 24, 2023. They were found in the Pinopolis area of Lake Moultrie after a resident of the area reported seeing one of the men floating in the water. When first responders showed up, they found the second man in the same general area.
The two men have been identified as Jerry Stoots and Lee Watkins, longtime friends who were fishing together when something apparently went wrong, causing both men to enter the water. Stoots, 75, and Watkins, 68, had known each other for decades, and they both worked as coaches and teachers at several lowcountry schools over the years.
The cause of death was unknown at the time, and an autopsy was scheduled for this week to determine what happened.
Lake Moultrie, often referred to as the “lower lake,” is a 60,400-acre lake that joins with Lake Marion to form the Santee Cooper lakes system. It is a popular spot for fishing and is known for its unpredictable and often extreme weather patterns.
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