Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Public Safety

Divers Search For Missing San Diego State Student At Lake Murray

Emergency personnel are pictured searching for a missing man at Lake Murray, March 26, 2015.
10News
Emergency personnel are pictured searching for a missing man at Lake Murray, March 26, 2015.

Emergency personnel searched in vain in and around Lake Murray for more than 11 hours Thursday for an 18-year-old man whose wallet, cellphone and backpack were found abandoned on the shore of the reservoir.

The discovery of the San Diego State University student's personal effects, including shoes and other articles of clothing, at the edge of the eastern San Diego lake was reported shortly before 7:30 a.m., according to police. A single set of footprints led to the water, with none found heading in the opposite direction.

Park rangers and patrol officers searched the shoreline and surrounding areas for the man, whose name was not released, before calling in a city lifeguard scuba team about 10 a.m., said Lee Swanson of the San Diego Fire- Rescue Department.

Advertisement

The divers, aided by counterparts from several local law enforcement agencies, searched underwater through the day and into early evening, finding no further sign of the missing man. A boat crew used sonar, meanwhile, to scan the lake, and other personnel continued walking the shore and adjacent areas.

The efforts were expected to continue until dark, then resume Friday morning if necessary, Swanson said.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.