Wake sheriff identifies teen who drowned in Falls Lake. Death ruled an accident.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has identified a teen who drowned Saturday in Falls Lake as 19-year-old Amir Tamel Crawford of Knightdale.

His death was ruled accidental, according to a news release.

Deputies responded to a possible drowning call in the 12000 block of Old Falls of Neuse, at Falls Lake Reservoir, shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

They found the 19-year-old’s body four hours later. His name was not released until late Monday afternoon, pending notification of family members.

Witnesses told deputies they were swimming near a rocky area of the lake, when the teen called for help and then suddenly went underwater. One of his friends tried to rescue him, the release stated.

The sheriffs office boat team was deployed within minutes of the call.

The 12,000-acre Falls Lake Reservoir is located in Durham, Granville and Wake counties and is a primary drinking-water source for Wake County.

The lake gets as deep as 30 feet, officials said.

The sheriff’s office has responded to six drownings at the lake since 2017, including three last year.

This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 8:05 AM.