RIDGEWAY – A 79-year-old Ridgeway woman was killed last week when the car she was driving ran off the road and into Lake Wateree near her home on Rolling Hills Road. Fairfield County Coroner Barkley Ramsey said an autopsy completed over the weekend determined that Inge Conrad died from drowning after crashing her 2002 Subaru into the lake, just 45 yards from her home.
Ramsey said diving crews with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources used an underwater camera to discover the car, which was found totally submerged in about 8 feet of water in a cove.
Conrad was reported missing Thursday night (April 4) by a son with whom she lived. She had last been seen leaving the Camden home of another son around 2 p.m. Thursday. Ramsey said weather conditions, which were windy with heavy rain, may have contributed to Conrad losing control of the car. On Friday, when the weather had cleared, a family member found tire tracks leading from the driveway and into the lake not far from the home. There was also evidence that Conrad struck a tree and several pieces of outdoor furniture before crashing into the lake. Conrad’s body was found in the car, which was pulled from the lake Friday at approximately 10 p.m.
