The following is a press release issued by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, December 20, 2025:

On December 20, 2025 at approximately 2:25 p.m., the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Communication Center received a 911 call for service in reference to the recovery of human remains in the area of R.C. Edwards School Road in Central.

The remains of an adult male were located submerged in Lake Hartwell. Resources from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and Pickens County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and are investigating the incident.

This location is in close proximity to the Clemson University Forest (formerly named the Clemson Experimental Forest), where Pickens County Emergency Services and Pickens County Sheriff’s Office along with numerous other upstate search and rescue partners conducted multiple large-scale searches for Swapnil Srivastava. Srivastava was reported missing from his Central apartment on December 6, 2025, and his vehicle was located on R.C. Edwards School Road, near a trailhead at the Clemson University Forest.

Pickens County Coroner’s Office and Sheriff’s Office Detectives are working to positively identify the body. When an identification is made, that information will be provided by the Coroner’s Office.

Additional information will be forwarded as it becomes available.