Woman found dead in Lake Anna, the third body found at the Virginia lake since May

A woman's body was found floating in Lake Anna in Virginia over the weekend, making it the third person to be recovered from the reservoir since May.

The Louisa County Sheriff's Office received information around 2:15 p.m. on Saturday about a body floating in "the waters of Spotsylvania County, out in the main part of Lake Anna ," the department said in a news release shared on its Facebook page.

Once deputies responded, they removed the body from the water at the request of Spotsylvania County, according to the release. Authorities' initial investigation determined the body belonged to a woman, the sheriff's office said.

The woman's body was taken to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy and to be identified, according to the sheriff's office.

The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office had been actively searching for someone who they believe could have drowned earlier this spring in an area further up-lake from Saturday's recovery.

Previously at Lake Anna: Father and son drown as dad attempted to save him, police say

Maya Olivia Smith's body had not been found after going missing near Lake Anna in May

The sheriff's office did not name the person they had been searching for, but a woman named Maya Olivia Smith did go missing in May. Smith was last seen renting a boat from a Lake Anna business in Spotsylvania County on May 11 around 12:30 p.m., the sheriff's office said in a May 14 news release .

A report was taken by the sheriff's office on May 12 about an abandoned boat that was stuck on a sandbar in Lake Anna, according to the release. The boat matched the description of the one rented by Smith on the previous day. Many of Smith's belongings were found aboard the boat, but nothing was found indicating foul play, the sheriff's office said.

The department checked the water in the area at the time of the report but a body was not found.

Father and son drowned in Lake Anna in May

Also in May, a 42-year-old father and his 14-year-old son drowned in Lake Anna, the sheriff's office said in another news release .

The sheriff's office and emergency crews responded to the lake around 1:10 p.m. on May 25 for a reported child drowning, according to the release. While en route to the lake, deputies were told that the father had attempted to rescue his son, the sheriff's office said.

Witnesses at the scene saw the father "struggling" before losing sight of him, according to the release. Several people jumped into the water to try to save the father and son, but they were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office said.

Divers recovered the bodies of the father and son, who were pronounced dead on the scene, according to the sheriff's office. Both were taken to the Richmond, Virginia medical examiner's office for examination.

The father and son were from out of state, and the sheriff's office does "not suspect any type of foul play," according to the department.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Woman found dead in Lake Anna, the third body found at the Virginia lake since May