High school student jumps off boat dock into lake and never resurfaces, NC cops say
An 18-year-old high school student drowned in a lake in North Carolina after jumping off a boat dock, police said.
Zimera Smith went swimming with her friend on May 3 at Lookout Shoals Lake when she jumped off a dock and didn’t resurface, WCSO reported.
Once she didn’t come up emergency responders were called around 7:09 p.m., captain Aaron Turk with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office told McClatchy News.
Local fire, rescue, EMS and wildlife crews arrived to assist the sheriff’s office in the search, Turk said. At about 9 p.m., officials found her body under “8 feet of water just off the end of the boat dock.”
Smith attended Hickory High School in Hickory, Turk said.
Smith was described by school staff as stylish and outgoing, Hickory Public Schools Director of Communications Beverly Snowden told Statesville Record & Landmark.
The school is offering counseling for grieving students, the news outlet reported.
Authorities are unsure why Smith did not resurface, Turk said.
Hickory is about 63 miles northwest of Charlotte.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 5:52 PM with the headline "High school student jumps off boat dock into lake and never resurfaces, NC cops say."
