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Brian Pierce, 39, of Quarryville, was boating with two friends near the Muddy Creek boat launch in Drumore Township when the boat malfunctioned, drifted, and struck a rock bed, Pennsylvania state Police Lancaster Trooper Schatzmann detailed in the release.
Pierce attempted to swim back to the shore, but midway back he "experienced difficulty" and witnesses lost sight of him, Schatzmann wrote in the release.
Emergency crews called to the water rescue at 10:35 p.m. on Thursday.
The two people in the boat were rescued but by 4 a.m. that night, Pierce still had not been located, the search for him resumed later Friday morning through evening and resumed again Saturday morning as a recovery mission.
Around 4:45 p.m., Saturday, the Rawlinsville Volunteer Fire Company posted the following reading in part:
"After nearly 20 hours of searching since Thursday night, the UWSAR team located and recovered Brian Pierce from the Susquehanna River. Our condolences to Brian’s family and friends for their loss."
In addition to the Rawlinsville Volunteer Fire Company, the following agencies assisted at the scene:
The Conestoga Volunteer Fire Company
Robert Fulton Fire Company
West Willow Fire Company
Blue Rock Regional Fire District
Garden Spot Fire Rescue (GSFR39)
Middle Creek Search and Rescue
Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company Station 57
Pennsylvania State Police
Maryland State Police
Lancaster County Forensic Center
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Brian was a Lancaster native who attended Solanco High School according to his social media. He is survived by his children.
Additional details about Peck's life were not available at the time of publishing. His family is invited to contact Daily Voice with funeral details, a statement, and/or photos by emailing jpikora@dailyvoice.com.
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