SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, Va. – 25-year-old Jerson Martinez was found dead on Monday after drowning in Smith Mountain Lake.
Misty Alegria, a friend and coworker of Jerson Martinez, said she found him after she had an unusual dream.
“It’s weird, in Hispanic culture, when you dream about somebody, it’s either because something is wrong, or you have to call them to make sure they are okay. I dreamed about him, and I never dream about him ever,” Alegria said.
Alegria said it was her dream that led her to where she found Jersen’s body.
“The next thing I know, we were trying to get over there because there was a party happening,” Alegria said. " ... a wedding that we were supposed to go to together and I knew he couldn’t swim so I had to swim us across,” Alegria said.
She said the discovery sent her into shock.
“I told him I said he’s right there ya know. I just like pointed at him and he was there,” she said. “The other guy came and saw him, and he was like yeah and he’s the one that called the rescue team and said ‘Hey he’s here.’ That’s when they told us we couldn’t be here.”
A tragic personal loss. She said Jerson was a light in her life.
“He was always telling jokes all the time; he was always trying to bring a smile to everybody’s faces. Whenever I was feeling down, I knew he was always there for me when I needed to talk to someone about anything,” Alegria said.
The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said it appears to be accidental, but they’re still waiting on the official autopsy report.