DUBLIN – On Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., a Claytor Lake State Park Law Enforcement Ranger was notified of a vehicle fully submerged in the lake behind the picnic/day use area of the park.
State Park Law Enforcement Rangers, deputies from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, and first responders from Pulaski County Fire & EMS Special Operations Team and the Newbern Fire Department, were called in to assist with the recovery of the vehicle.
Divers entered the water and found a Jeep Grand Cherokee in approximately 12 feet of water, with the body of Jean Cecilia Lester, 79, from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, inside the vehicle.
The body was taken to the Roanoke medical examiner’s office, and the incident is under investigation. No additional information is available at this time.
Dave Neudeck, Communications and Marketing Director, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation