LAKEVILLE – A 12-year-old camper from the Columbus area drowned Wednesday at Round Lake Christian Camp.
Melvin Aborbie of Pickerington was taking a swimming test just before 4 p.m. Wednesday when he jumped into the waters of Round Lake and did not resurface, according to Ashland County Coroner’s Office Investigator Jenny Taylor.
Camp staff had given the boy the OK to jump into the water and commence the test, Taylor said. Lifeguards saw Aborbie enter the water and quickly dove in to find him but were unable to do so, according to Taylor.
The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered Aborbie’s body about 90 minutes later, approximately 50 feet from the shore and about 15 feet below the surface of the water, according to Ashland County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Smart.
Taylor confirmed the boy’s cause of death was drowning and said there were no signs of trauma.
Smart said the sheriff’s office interviewed witnesses at the scene and concluded its investigation with the determination that the drowning was a swimming accident.
“There were indications he was not a strong swimmer,” he said.
Round Lake Christian Camp is located at 114 Ohio 3 just north of Lakeville, near the border between Ashland and Holmes counties. The camp is owned by dozens of member Christian Churches and Churches of Christ throughout North Central Ohio and used for summer camps and year-round retreats.
Camp manager Lance Powers wrote a post on the camp’s Facebook page Wednesday following the drowning.
“We regret to inform you that a drowning occurred at the camp, on the lodge side, this afternoon,” he wrote. “We are cooperating with local authorities in the investigation.”
Powers went on to say camp staff and volunteers are grieving and to request prayers for the family of the camper and for the camp.
“The families of our other campers have being contacted and informed of the situation,” Powers wrote. “We will keep the community updated as more information becomes available.”
Fire departments from Jeromesville, Lakeville and Loudonville assisted at the scene.
