LOUISA COUNTY, Va. -- Despite cloudy Memorial Day weather, dozens of visitors lined the perimeter of Pleasants Landing, a public access point at Lake Anna.
It's one of two public beaches on the lake, the other being Lake Anna State Park, the only spot at Lake Anna that has on-duty lifeguards.
Chief Alex Dillard with Lake Anna Volunteer Rescue told CBS 6 that more visitors mean more people in areas where there is no lifeguard on watch and each year, his team responds to more drownings.
The most recent one happened on Saturday, around 1 p.m. near Carrs Bridge Road.
Louisa County Sheriff's Office said they received a report that a 14-year-old boy was drowning. Officials say while emergency crews were on the way, the child's father attempted to find and save him.
Witnesses told law enforcement they saw the father struggling before losing sight of him.
Both of their bodies were later recovered by rescue teams. Officials are not identifying the victims at this time.
It's unclear if the victims were wearing life jackets at the time or if they had been on a boat before drowning.
Officials say the two were visiting from out of state.
The area near where they drowned is an isolated cove, on what's considered the "hot" side of the lake, since it's on the same side as the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station.
That's drawing more questions from some locals.
"The cold side is the public side; anybody can get in to. The hot side is the private side where you have to be an owner or a guest. Never heard about anybody dying on the hot side, you always hear about somebody dying on the cold side, more frequently," a man who went by the name J.P. said.
Dillard told CBS 6 there are some channels with currents in the lake, due to the nuclear generating station, but they're not close to where the drowning incident happened.
It's the second father-son drowning at Lake Anna in the last six years.
Louisa County Sheriff's Office does not suspect any type of foul play.
This is an active investigation, anyone who has information about this incident is asked to please call the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office CID Unit at 540-967-1234 or anonymously at Louisa Crime Solvers at 800-346-1466. All calls to Crime Solvers are confidential and callers can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
