A teenager is dead after he jumped into a reservoir in Yanceyville, N.C., on Tuesday afternoon.
Damien Farmer, 13, a Dillard Middle School student from Yanceyville, was walking with three friends along Badgett Sisters Parkway when, according to witnesses, he decided to go for a swim and jumped into the reservoir, said Caswell County Sheriff’s Office Capt. G. Scott Halbrook.
Farmer’s death is considered a drowning, Halbrook said Wednesday.
Farmer and his friends were walking a dog about 100 yards from the reservoir, which supplies water for the Yanceyville area, when the incident occurred, Halbrook said.
Caswell County’s 911 center received a call about a child jumping into a reservoir at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. Caswell County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to rescue Farmer but could not locate him because of the water’s temperature and depth, according to a news release from the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office.
The Yanceyville Fire Department, Caswell County EMS and the Danville Rescue Dive Team also responded. The dive team located Farmer in about 24 feet of water. He was transported to Danville Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Farmer was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke for an autopsy. No foul play is suspected in the case, which remains under investigation.
Dillard Middle School Principal Lamont Dixon said counselors throughout the school district were dispatched to the school Wednesday and a room was set up to provide counseling for students and staff.
Farmer was well-liked, Dixon said, adding that teachers read a news release to their students Wednesday informing them of Farmer’s death.
“He had the affections of most of the staff members here,” Dixon said.
“He is going to be sorely missed,” he added.
Dixon said he took food to Farmer’s family and assistant principals and a school nurse visited them throughout the day Wednesday, Dixon said.
Dillard Middle School has 673 students, Dixon said.
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