Guilford County dive team trains at Buffalo Lake for cold case response

Drivers along Elm Street in Greensboro saw the kind of lakefront response that can trigger alarm: uniforms, dive gear and a concentrated police presence at Buffalo Lake. But the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office underwater recovery team was there for training on April 22, and Greensboro Police said the drill was tied to a cold case.

The sheriff’s office confirmed the operation was not an active emergency. That distinction matters in Guilford County, where a visible response at the water can quickly draw attention from nearby neighborhoods, commuters and anyone who recognizes how often submerged evidence or victims become part of long-running investigations.

The underwater recovery team sits inside the sheriff’s office Special Operations Division. County officials say the unit is responsible for search and rescue in aquatic environments and for the search, recovery and preservation of criminal evidence, including cadavers, weapons, transportation vehicles and other objects. Greensboro Police said its homicide squad handles cold cases and other unattended death cases and works closely with the Medical Examiner and the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office.

Officials did not identify which cold case prompted the drill, but the connection gives the exercise a practical edge. Underwater recovery is not just about getting into the water safely. It is about staying ready to handle scenes where a submerged vehicle, weapon or remains could change the direction of an investigation years after the original incident.

Buffalo Lake already has that kind of history. In March 2024, Greensboro police recovered an older-model sedan from the lake after a boater reported it submerged. Dive team members worked at the site and removed the unoccupied car later that day after investigators said it had likely been underwater for years. The vehicle was set to be processed for possible evidence.

The lake itself has long been a notable Guilford County landmark. A 2017 report said Buffalo Lake and Lake Jeanette were built and owned by Cone Mills and later were under contract to be sold for a reported $1 million. That report placed Buffalo Lake at about 69 acres, within a combined total of about 462 acres for the two lakes. At the time, boats and docks were not allowed.

That background helps explain why a training day at Buffalo Lake can look like something far more serious. For the sheriff’s office and Greensboro police, the value of the drill was plain: when a case leads investigators back to the water, Guilford County wants a team that is already prepared.