Body of Westfield Man Recovered in Lake Congamond

The body of a swimmer missing in Lake Congamond’s Middle Pond since Monday afternoon was recovered at approximately 10:10 a.m. this morning. Dive teams from the Southwick Police Department and Massachusetts State Police, along with Massachusetts Environmental Police, recovered the body.

The deceased was identified as Kevin J. Major, a 19-year-old resident of Westfield, MA, according to Southwick Police. Massachusetts State Police, the Hampden County District Attorney’s office and the Southwick Police Department will conduct an investigation into his death.

Major was swimming with a group of friends Monday afternoon when he had difficulty swimming and struggled to remain at the water’s surface. He went under, resurfaced briefly and then disappeared under the water again. A friend of Major called Southwick Police at approximately 4:25 p.m. to request assistance.

Dive teams searched the lake until sunset Monday night and resumed the search Tuesday morning. Southwick Police said the initial investigation did not name alcohol as a factor in the fatal accident.

This is the second fatality in the last month at Lake Congamond. .

According to MassLive.com, the last reported death in the lake occurred in August 2000, when an 18 year old from Brooklyn, NY drowned in the lake’s South Pond. Prior to that, a 33-year-old West Suffield man drowned in the lake’s Middle Pond in October 1994.

The lake was re-opened to the public at noon on Tuesday.