22-year-old Virginia woman drowned off Pawleys Island, coroner says

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (WBTW) — A 22-year-old Virginia woman drowned Thursday afternoon off Pawleys Island, Coroner Chase Ridgeway said.

Lili Ho was reported missing in the ocean by a man who was helped from the surf and told Pawleys Island police that he had been in the water with her, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said.

Her body was recovered by a Midway Fire Rescue jet ski team after it was spotted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter during a 90-minute search of the area, the sheriff’s office said.

A sheriff’s office Marine Unit assisted in the search, along with Pawleys Island police, which also deployed a jet ski. The sheriff’s office and Midway Fire Rescue also used drones to help during the search.