A Pelion High school student-athlete drowned near North, Sunday near Carson Landing on the Edisto River in Orangeburg County

Marcus Dwyer, 18, was a senior and he was scheduled to graduate from high school in a month.

The Lexington One School District issued a statement regarding the death of Dwyer. It reads: “The Pelion High School community was saddened to learn of the death of one of its 12th-grade students, Marcus Dwyer.

Although the Pelion High staff and students are grieving, they are trying to keep the school day as normal as possible.

District counselors and school psychologists arrived at the school early this morning to help students and staff deal with their loss.

During the day, they will watch students carefully, listen to their comments, answer general questions and look for signs of distress. If those counselors have any concerns about how a student is handling this, they will contact the student’s parent directly.”

Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department personnel responded to a drowning near North on Sunday near Carson Landing at the Edisto River in Orangeburg County. Dwyer was with other people when he jumped into the river from a bridge on Hwy. 321, according to a witness.

In the water he struggled according to a report from emergency crew responding. Dwyer went under water and did not resurface. His body was later discovered and he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office.