Lake Hartwell drowning victim identified

The identity of the victim who drowned in Lake Hartwell on July 4 has been released.

According to DNR officials, the victim was 22-year-old Armando Estaban Sanchez Martinez, of Greer, South Carolina, who drowned while swimming at the Big Oaks Recreation Area.

DNR Law Enforcement Officer Craig Fulghum says the incident occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday.

“At approximately 5:50p, our game wardens received a call that there was a subject who went down at the Big Oaks Recreation Area next to the Hartwell Dam in Hartwell,” he said. “The subject had already been recovered prior to game wardens arriving. EMS personnel tried to resuscitate the individual. The coroner was on the scene and the subject was pronounced dead.”

Martinez’s body was turned over to the Hart County Coroner’s Office.

DNR Spokesman Mark McKinnon says upon arrival of Georgia Game Wardens, they learned that they victim had been recovered by witnesses, who performed CPR until EMS personnel took over, but were unable to revive the 22-year-old victim.