Stono River drowning victim identified as pediatrician Charles Kisabeth

The man who was found dead Sunday night in the Stono River was identified this morning as boating enthusiast and pediatrician Charles "Chuck" Kisabeth, who owned a home near the river in West Ashley.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten called Kisabeth's drowning death a “tragedy” for a community in which he was widely respected for his work as a partner at Parkwood Pediatric Group.

Kisabeth, 61, was married to Anne Kisabeth and had four children, according to Parkwood’s website. He earned an engineering degree from Georgia Tech and studied medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.

“I enjoy boating, gardening, photography and spending time with my family,” he wrote on the website.

Multiple agencies responded to the Stono River near Wappoo Road about 7:30 p.m. after a man reported that he and his father-in-law fell from a boat about 45 minutes earlier, Department of Natural Resources Lt. Robert McCullough said.

The man told authorities he swam to shore and called authorities after he couldn't find his father-in-law.

Property records show that Kisabeth owned a home on nearby Capri Drive.

Searchers responded by boat and helicopter. They recovered the body between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., McCullough said. They also found the capsized boat, he said.

The Coast Guard, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, James Island Fire Department, Charleston County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol and Underwater Recovery Team and the Charleston County Volunteer Rescue Squad all responded.