BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — A student at Bluefield State University died while on a school sanctioned outing to Brush Creek Falls.
According to the state’s Natural Resources Police, Maleek Ayonrinde, 21, of Baltimore, Maryland drowned while swimming at the falls. Witnesses say Ayonrinde, along with several other students, jumped from the top of the falls into the water below. He came to the surface once after hitting the water, but went under again and never resurfaced. The incident happened around 7 p.m. on Saturday evening.
The dive team of the West Virginia DNR arrived around 8 p.m. but was unable to dive due to darkness. They entered the water at first light Sunday morning and found Ayonrinde’s body around 9 a.m.
The accident happened on property of Camp Creek State Park.
Bluefield State issued a statement of condolence to the victim’s family and has provided counselors to anyone on campus who needs to talk.