Body Recovered from Lake Sara

(BOATS AIDING IN THE RESCUE AND RECOVERY EFFORT ON LAKE SARA TUESDAY EVENING)

The body of a 29-year-old Ohio man was recovered from Lake Sara about 11am Wednesday.

Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the body of Kameron Brown of Sardis, Ohio was recovered from the center basin of Lake Sara, which was 34 feet in depth.

The man and a co-worker dove into the lake about 3:20pm Tuesday. Brown and his co-worker were swimming across the lake to an Airbnb where they were staying, when Brown went under the water and did not resurface. A local Lake Sara resident, Ted Rhodes, and his family were on their pontoon boat in the area and realized something was wrong. They went to assist the lone individual spotted in the water and got him onto their boat. The individual told them his friend went underwater and he could not hold onto him. Ted Rhodes phoned 911 and requested the Effingham County Dive Rescue Team.

Effingham Water Authority, Shumway Fire Protection District, Effingham County Sheriff's Office, Effingham County Dive Rescue Team, and Illnois Department of Natural Resources responded and searched for Brown until dark.

Effingham County Dive Rescue Team Commander Terry Trueblood said they used a "tow fish" Wednesday morning from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to locate the body. The tow fish is a pulled sonar transducer used to get better images for deeper objects. Once DNR located the body, Effingham County divers made the recovery. The Effingham County Coroner's Office will continue their investigation.

The Dive Rescue Team thanked the Effingham County Sheriff's Office, the Shumway Fire Protection District, and the Effingham Water Authority for their assistance.

Crews worked until dark Tuesday night then resumed their search this morning to recover the body. Trueblood advised that Brown's body was recovered from the center basin of Lake Sara, which was 34 feet in depth. 

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning in Bloomington to determine the official cause of death and to determine whether Brown suffered a medical emergency while swimming.

The body was located southeast of the Moccasin Cove opening onto the lake.

Coroner Rhodes thanked all the first responders who assisted at the lake. She said, "They did an exceptional job under very difficult circumstances."