GOLDSBORO, N.C. —A Courtland man drowned Saturday in a private pond in North Carolina.

Samuel Evans Turner, 31, went underwater while swimming with friends at Busco Beach and didn’t resurface, said Maj. Tom Effler of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

Busco Beach owner Jack Bennett said Turner was a camper at his private park. There is no lifeguard at the pond and people are advised to swim at their own risk.

Turner swam to an island in one of the ponds with two other people, Bennett said. On the way back, he began to struggle, but told his friends he was fine, but when they got to land, he was nowhere to be found.

A county dive team located Turner’s body after about a hour of searching, Effler said.