Identity of woman found in Jeep in Claytor Lake released

On Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., a fisherman notified a Claytor Lake State Park ranger of what appeared to be a vehicle fully submerged in the lake near picnic shelter #2 in the picnic/day use area of the park. Virginia State Park rangers, deputies from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office and first responders from Pulaski County Fire & EMS Special Operations Team and the Newburn Fire Department, were called in to assist with the recovery of the vehicle. Divers entered the water and found a Jeep Grand Cherokee in approximately 12 feet of water, with the body of Jean Cecilia Lester, 79, from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, inside the vehicle. The body was taken to the Roanoke medical examiner’s office, and the incident is under investigation.

No additional information is available at this time.