JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Crews have recovered the body of a North Carolina man who drowned on Douglas Lake near the Nina access area Friday.
TWRA said crews recovered the man's body at 7:20 a.m. Saturday and identified him as Daryl Lee Smart, 50, of Asheville.
Smart and Kristen Kirby, from Canton, North Carolina, were swimming from a pontoon boat in Nina Creek around 12:30 p.m. when the man went under and didn't resurface, Matt Cameron with TWRA said.
Crews started searching for Smart Friday afternoon but had to suspend their search Friday night because of weather conditions.
TWRA said the pair was trying to get their service dog to come back to them when a breeze drifted the boat away while they were in the water. The man, who wasn't wearing a life jacket, began to struggle and the woman said she went back to get him but he went under.
There were two TWRA patrol boats, one sheriff's boat, and roughly six squad boats on the water helping with the recovery efforts.
TWRA reminds anyone swimming to wear a personal flotation device and keep one near them at all times. TWRA also sends condolences to Mr. Smart’s family and extends their gratitude to all of the rescue crews and agencies who assisted with the search.
Deputies and officers from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Rescue Squad, and EMS were on scene.
Investigators said Smart's body will be taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital and an autopsy has been requested.
