Body recovered in Lake Sara, Effingham Co. Coroner investigates

EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — The Effingham County Coroner is investigating the death of a man found in Lake Sara.

According to Kim Rhodes, the Effingham County Coroner, 29-year-old Kameron Brown of Sardis, Ohio, was swimming on Tuesday around 3:20 p.m.

A local Lake Sara resident was on their boat in the area and saw two men swimming. They reportedly saw one man go under the water, and they did not see him resurface. The Lake Sara resident then brought the other individual onto their boat and called 911.

The friend of the victim told the Lake Sara resident that “his friend went underwater, and he could not hold onto him.”

Brown and his friend had been swimming across the lake to get to their Airbnb, according to the Effingham County Coroner.

Effingham Water Authority, Shumway Fire, Effingham County Sheriff’s Department, Effingham County Dive team and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) arrived on the scene and worked to locate Brown until dark.

On Wednesday, IDNR brought a “towfish” sonar device to continue searching for Brown.

Around 11 a.m. Brown’s body was recovered, and he was pronounced deceased by Rhodes. According to Terry Trueblood, the dive team commander, Brown’s body was found in the center basin of Lake Sara. That basin is around 34 feet deep.

Brown’s next of kin have been notified and an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning at the McLean County Coroner’s Office in Bloomington. The McLean County Coroner will work to determine if Brown suffered a medical emergency while swimming, to determine the official cause of death.

“The Coroner’s office would like to thank all the first responders who assisted at the lake,” Rhodes said in a statement. “They did an exceptional job under very difficult circumstances.”

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