Body of missing Marine found in Camden County lake
A volunteer crew searching a Camden County lake Friday found the body of a 29-year-old Marine veteran who went missing early last month.
A volunteer crew searching a Camden County lake Friday found the body of a 29-year-old Marine veteran who went missing early last month.
Lance James, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was last seen Dec. 2 leaving a Clementon bar after a fight with another patron.
His body was located shortly after noon in Bottom Lake about 40 feet from shore, said Thomas Yohnnson, chief of Burlington County K-9 Search and Rescue.
It was the third time the volunteer crew searched the lake, but it was the first time it was covered by ice, Yohnnson said.
The recent mild weather "opened up an opportunity for us," he said.
The lake is about a 15-minute walk from the Hideaway Tavern, which is located in the 200 block of White Horse Avenue.
The night of Dec. 2, the police were called to the bar after an altercation erupted involving James, who was bleeding from his nose and right eye.
James and the other patron declined to press charges, and James declined medical treatment before walking away on the sidewalk along White Horse Avenue. He left his cellphone at the bar.
His family suspects foul play, but police have said they are considering all possibilities.
The case remains under investigation.
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