Authorities identify Winlock drowning victim

Authorities have identified a man who drowned at Mayfield Lake earlier this month as 51-year-old Terrence E. Murphy, of Winlock, after retrieving his body yesterday afternoon.

A release from the Lewis County Sheriff's Office stated Murphy's remains had been found by divers at around 1:20 p.m. Sept. 16 after he had gone cliff diving with a friend on Sept. 2 and failed to resurface.

The release described how Lewis County was assisted by members of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, who used a submersible with a camera to locate Murphy in around 65 feet of water, stating he was found roughly 25 feet from where he had been seen diving into the lake.

"There was no sign of foul play," stated the release, which said an autopsy is expected to be conducted by the Lewis County Coroner's Office later this week to determine the cause of death.

An earlier release stated Murphy and a friend had been diving into the lake from a 30-foot cliff near the Ike Kinswa State Park boat launch when, after Murphy failed to surface, the friend searched for him and eventually called authorities.

Though members of the Lewis County Sheriff Swift Water Rescue Team, Lewis County Fire District 3 and Lewis County Fire District 8 responded to the scene, a successful recovery was not made until yesterday.

Divers on scene at Mayfield lake Sept. 16 during recovery efforts to locate the remains of a Winlock man who drowned while cliff diving on Sept. 2. (Photo courtesy of Lewis County Sheriff's Office.)