Authorities: Don’t Swim at Castlewood State Park

Authorities are urging visitors to Castlewood State Park in suburban St. Louis to avoid swimming after two teenagers drowned there over the weekend.

The bodies of 18-year-old Henry Manu and 17-year-old Samuel Neal, both of St. Louis, were found late Saturday night in the Meramec River at the park. They were swimming in an area where swimming is prohibited.

KTVI-TV reports that signs warn people not to swim in that area of the Meramec, where the topography under the water is erratic with sudden drop-offs.

A spokesman for Metro West Fire Protection District says the bodies of the teens were found in an area about 20 feet deep.