LAKE WACCAMAW — The search for the body of a Bladen County man thought to have drowned at Lake Waccamaw on Sunday turned into a recovery effort Monday when his body was found in chest-deep water on the west end of the lake.

Stewart Wade Young, 47, of the Abbottsburg community of Bladenboro, and his wife Sherry were on the lake Sunday aboard their pontoon boat with his family and several children. When one of the children fell into the water, Young rescued the child but then disappeared himself.

According to investigators, high winds carried the boat away from Young and his wife tossed him a life-preserver, but the wind blew it away from him. Sherry drove the boat to where she had last seen him, but he could not be found.

Fire and rescue agencies from Lake Waccamaw Fire Department and the rescue team of the N.C. State Parks Wildlife Resources Commission of the Town of White Lake went into action immediately on Sunday afternoon to locate Young. The Bladen County Emergency Management Team and White Lake Water Rescue also joined in on Sunday.

“We set up the Bladen County Command Post at Lake Waccamaw,” said Bradley Kinlaw, Bladen County Emergency Management director. “The command center is a recreational vehicle designed to aid emergency personnel in situations such as this.”

“It is a positive thing to have these various agencies to come and aid us in a unified purpose to help bring closure to families,” Lake Waccamaw Superintendent Chris Helms said. “It is a tragic loss for the family, but it is a great support of the agencies and the community.”

For information on the funeral arrangements for Young, see the Obituary section on Page 2A.