Woman who drowned in Lexington reservoir despite rescue attempts is identified

The woman who drowned Wednesday night in a Lexington reservoir despite efforts to save her has been identified.

Scharliegh Rogers, 27, was pronounced dead at 8:28 p.m. Wednesday, about the time her body was pulled from the water in Reservoir Number 1, the Fayette County coroner’s office said late Wednesday.

By the time Brandon Ray, 32, ran into the water Wednesday afternoon, Rogers had gone under.

Rogers was trying to swim the reservoir, also called Lake Fontaine, behind Lakes Edge Condominiums when she became tired, Ray said Wednesday night as more than a dozen Lexington Fire and Rescue personnel searched the water.

Ray was on his balcony overlooking the water about 5:30 p.m. when he saw Rogers begin to struggle about a quarter of the way into her swim. He yelled to her to turn around.

“She kept swimming for about five more seconds and she wasn’t going anywhere,” Ray said. “I ran down and kicked my shoes off and made it about halfway to her. I couldn’t get out there.”

Out in a boat at the time were Diana and William Rogers, frequent visitors at the lake. They saw the woman go under but were too far away to help her. The couple also recalled seeing a friend of the woman fishing in a boat.

“She went down and we didn’t know where she was,” William Rogers said. “The lake isn’t very deep. Where she was, there was a drop-off.”

Diana Rogers didn’t know the woman well but remembered seeing her around Lakes Edge.

“She was happy-go-lucky,” Diana Rogers said. “She was always smiling.”

The maximum depth of the lake is roughly 20 feet, said Ben Warren, 36, the president of Lakes Edge’s housing association. Warren received a call shortly after the woman went under, and he took his boatto the water. He said he and a friend dived for about 30 minutes until the fire department arrived.

Warren remember Scharliegh Rogers telling people the day before that she wanted to swim across the lake.

“Her friends discouraged it. They took her seriously and told her not to do it,” Warren said. “It’s terrible. No matter how strong a swimmer you think you are, don’t do it and don’t do it alone.”

Rogers’ body was pulled from the water at 8:30 p.m., Battalion Chief Joe Best said.

“This is the first drowning of 2017,” Best said.

Fayette County coroner Gary Ginn confirmed that drowning was the cause of death.

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 5:56 AM with the headline "Woman who drowned in Lexington reservoir despite rescue attempts is identified."