'A day of trying to have a little fun...turned out to be tragic:' Sheriff urges caution at Falls Lake after teen drowns

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- The desire for a break from life indoors has many people gathering while keeping socially distant in areas like Falls Lake. They're aware that authorities want them to avoid crowds and possible coronavirus exposure.

"But I think folks still have to get out," said Bobby Puryear while pausing his walk beside the lake off Old Falls of Neuse Road.

It's not far from the place where searchers recovered the body of 17-year-old Davion Davis on Thursday. He went under the water to never come back up the day before on Wednesday while swimming with friends. The search for Davis, called off due to approaching bad weather overnight, resumed early the next day and dive teams working with the Wake County Sheriff's Office found Davis at about noon.

RELATED: Crews find body of missing teen at Falls Lake

"His dad was talking to me, about how fine a young man he was," Sheriff Gerald Baker said. "An athlete (who) would have graduated this year, had a lot of hopes, a lot of goals that he had set for himself. A day of trying to have a little fun swimming turned out to be tragic."

"It's just incredibly unfortunate," said Puryear. "And just a reminder to all of us to be careful."

Sheriff Baker says with a lake with no lifeguards on duty, he reminds those who want to go outside, "With children, and those people who want to go out and enjoy themselves, make sure that they're going to be safe."