Nearly two and a half hours after emergency responders were called to the rock face west of the Duke Energy water intake at Linville Dam, water rescue teams located and recovered the body of Austin Shyjuan Washington, 18, of Lincolnton, around 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 13.
The Burke County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) said it is currently leading the investigation into the death and will provide updates as they become available. Foul play is not suspected at this time.
Agencies responding to the scene included Lake James Fire Department, Burke County EMS, Burke County Rescue, Burke County REACT, Hankins Fire Department, Nebo Fire Department, McDowell EMS, McDowell Rescue, Burke County Communications, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, and North Carolina Wildlife.
Duke Energy also responded due to the proximity of their Lake James Bridgewater intake.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.