Presenting a list of drowning victims at Raleigh Beach, a popular swimming and fishing spot on the Neuse River, on the border of Raleigh and Knightdale. 

Total 28 known drowning victims. 

1930 to 1969

2 victims – 1930-07-22 – Two teenagers drowned during an outing with a larger group. The girl, 16, had waded into waist-deep water and started screaming for help. The boy, 18, entered the “swift currents” to rescue her. But she “clutched him so frantically” that both drowned before others could reach them. [N&O, 7/23/30]

1 victim – 1933-09-09 – Teenage girl, 18, drowned after stepping into a deep hole while wading just below the dam. Her body was recovered five hours later. [N&O, 9/10/33]

1 victim – 1950-08-27 – Man, 46, drowned while swimming in the river near the railroad trestle, after suffering cramps while swimming. [N&O, 8/28/50]

1 victim – 1952-09-01 – Man drowned after a fishing boat capsized about two miles upstream from Milburnie Dam. The victim’s two companions were able to reach the shore. The victim was recovered one week later, about 75 feet above the dam. [MJL] [N&O, 9/9/52]

1 victim – 1954-07-03 – Man, 47, drowned while trying to free a snagged fishing hook of another person, about 5:30 p.m. Raleigh Rescue recovered the body within five minutes of arriving, but artificial respiration was unsuccessful because the victim had been in the water for about 35 minutes. Was the eighth drowning of the year in Wake County. [MJL] [N&O, 7/4/54]

1 victim – 1963-07-07 – Boy, 6, drowned while swimming at the base of the dam, and after two others were rescued from the river’s strong currents. Occurred on a Sunday afternoon. [MJL] [N&O, 7/8/63]

1 victim – 1964-04-29 – Man, 38, drowned while swimming with a companion at the dam about 10:35 a.m. His body was recovered at 2:45 p.m., more than 100 yards downstream. [MJL] [N&O, 4/30/64]

1970 to 1999

1 victim – 1970-05-18 – Girl, 12, drowned after falling into the river below the dam about 7:30 p.m. At the time of the incident, the river was too swift to launch a boat, and rescue operations were postponed until the morning. [MJL] [N&O, 5/19/70, 5/20/70]

1 victim – 1970-09-05 – Man, 31, while fishing at Raleigh Beach near the old dam. He was apparently trying to cross the water behind the dam when he fell into a deep hole about 4:45 p.m. [MJL] [N&O, 9/6/70]

2 victims – 1973-07-01 – Two men, 24 and 25, drowned after riding a makeshift raft created from three inflated truck tire inner tubes upstream from the dam. They were caught in the current and swept under the falls. Their companion was rescued, climbing to a tree limb. The accident occurred on a Sunday night. Subsequent search attempts were impacted, because the current was too strong on the rain-swollen river to enable rescue boats to be deployed. One body was recovered two days later, near the dam. The second body was recovered at the Highway 64 bridge, on the third morning after the accident. [MJL] [N&O, 7/2/73, 7/3/73, 7/5/73]

1 victim – 1973-08-15 – Man, 40, drowned in the river below the dam about 8:30 p.m. Witnesses said he had been fishing and decided to “take a little swim.” His body was recovered about 11:00 a.m. the next day. [MJL] [N&O, 8/16/73]

1 victim – 1973-08-?? – Man, 19, drowned after he and two others were swimming in the water above the dam, and he and a second youth were caught in strong currents and pulled over the dam. During the subsequent dragging operations the following day, one of the rescue boats overturned and a second rescue boat almost overturned. The rescuers were pulled from the water safely. [MJL] [WW, 8/9/73]

1 victim – 1977-05-14 – Man, 24, drowned after diving into the water at Raleigh Beach, about 6:00 p.m. Seven rescue boats searched the waters until dark. The next morning his body was recovered about 10:30 a.m.. [MJL] [N&O, 5/16/77, GLF, 5/19/77]

1 victim – 1979-05-17 – Man, 20, drowned after he and a friend were swept off a ledge below the dam, while setting out a fishing net in water about waist deep. [AP/Sentinel, 5/18/79]

1 victim – 1987-06-21 – Adult woman drowned, after her two children who were playing on the beach walked off a steep slope and into water over their heads. Bystanders pulled the children to safety, but their mother drowned trying to save them. [N&O, 6/23/87]

2000 to 2026

2 victims – 2008-07-09 – Two young men drowned at the dam, each 21 years old. They and a third person had gone swimming about 2:00 a.m. The victims had been drinking. [N&O, 7/10/08]

2 victims – 2012-07-16 – Two children who were cousins drowned at the dam, ages seven (boy) and ten (girl). They were fishing with family members when they entered the water and were pulled under by strong current. They were recovered about 20 yards downstream. [N&O, 7/17/12]

1 victim – 2024-05-22 – Man in his 20s drowned near the Neuse River Greenway Trail/Loch Raven Parkway. [CBS17, 6/9/24]

1 victim – 2024-06-08 – Man drowned while swimming with family; went under and never resurfaced. Was reported about 4:00 p.m. and his body was recovered about 8:50 p.m. [WRAL, 6/10/24]

1 victim – 2024-07-21 – Man, 32, drowned at Raleigh Beach; recovered after a two-hour search. [WRAL, 7/23/24]

1 victim – 2024-07-23 – Man, 59, drowned near Raleigh Beach; recovered after a 10-hour search. City subsequently closed vehicle access to the parking lot. Second death in three days. [WRAL, 7/25/24]

1 victim – 2025-06-14 – Man, 39, drowned at Raleigh Beach about 4:30 p.m.; recovered after about a two hour search. [ABC11, 6/15/25]

1 victim – 2026-07-08 – Girl, 12, was swimming and went underwater about 11:30 a.m. and did not surface. She was pulled from the water and died at the hospital. [ABC11, 7/8/26]

1 victim – 2026-08-03 – Body of a man was discovered near Raleigh Beach. Officials had opened a death investigation. [WRAL, 8/3/26]

Abbreviations

GLF – Gold Leaf Farmer

MJL – Legeros research on Drownings in Wake County – 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, https://legeros.com/blog/rescue-squads-drownings

N&O – News and Observer

WW – Wake Weekly

Sources

See news clippings in this Google Drive folder, which includes articles about other Wake County drownings.