Officials recover body of Ohio man after Lake Cumberland drowning

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Published: Jun. 24, 2024 at 9:12 PM EDT|Updated: Jun. 24, 2024 at 10:42 PM EDT

PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - The body of an Ohio man was recovered in Lake Cumberland after he went in the water and did not resurface.

The man’s body was recovered on Sunday after the incident happened on Friday.

Officials said the incident happened in an area of the lake known as “party cove,” but that is a general description of several different areas throughout the lake, typically where people gather, tie boats together and hang out for the weekend.

The area was in the South Fork area of Lake Cumberland.

The man who died was found just after 5 p.m. Sunday. He was identified as Darrell Kirby, 72.

The coroner said the suspected cause of death was drowning but that Kirby also had some other health-related issues as well.

They are waiting on the toxicology report.

Officials said he was on a boat, either full or jumped in the water and did not resurface. It took search and rescue crews two full days to find Kirby.

The lake is very popular during the summer and people said they know it can be dangerous and that safety has to be observed carefully.

Rescue squad officials say heat exhaustion was a big issue for them during the weekend.

It was hot on both days they were searching for Kirby, especially on Sunday.

Kirby was from Liberty Township in Ohio. An autopsy is being performed on his body.