Sheriff: Rescue efforts now a search and recovery for man missing in Rattlesnake Creek
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler and Stephen Forsha-
Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward says the rescue and recovery of a man missing in the waters of Rattlesnake Creek has officially been changed to a search and recovery effort.
The search had resumed Tuesday morning at approximately 9 a.m. after the searched was called off for the night at approximately 12:45 a.m. Crews were stationed through the night at bridges along Rattlesnake Creek with auxiliary lighting and night vision equipment.
Approximately 30 people were searching Rattlesnake Creek Tuesday, Sheriff Ron Ward told The Highland County Press.
"Our best hope is that he is out of the creek," Ward said, noting they believe he is 200 to 300 yards from the waterfall. Almost 99 percent of the time people who jump in this water are fine, Ward said. But there are a lot of obstacles in the swiftly moving muddy water.
The sheriff's office received the initial call just after 8 p.m. Monday, that a man had jumped from the East Monroe falls and disappeared into the water. It was reported that the man went into the water approximately 25 minutes prior to the call. Ward said that witnesses reported they searched the waters themselves at first, and then had to make their way up from the creek and out of the woods before the call could be made.
"(Witnesses) expressed their concern about the flow and debris in the creek, but this young man (allegedly) decided to go ahead and jump in," Ward said.
According to Ward, after jumping feet-first into the water, 19-year-old Andrew Smith, of Washington C.H., indicated to the group of five people he was with that he may have been injured. He surfaced twice, and then the group lost sight of him as he was carried downstream, Ward said.
Emergency crews used the East Monroe United Methodist Church on Monroe Road as a staging area for the search, and the church opened its doors to accommodate the crews and family members of the missing man.
A dive team from Ross County was preparing to go into the water around 3 p.m.
Ward said the search area has been pinned down to approximately a one-mile span of the creek.
"We've kind of went into a recovery mode versus a rescue mode," Ward said. "We believe if he was along the banks waiting for help we would have found him already."
Ward said that he would not say how long the crews would continue to search, but that search efforts would continue at least until nightfall (Tuesday)."
Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward says the rescue and recovery of a man missing in the waters of Rattlesnake Creek has officially been changed to a search and recovery effort.
The search had resumed Tuesday morning at approximately 9 a.m. after the searched was called off for the night at approximately 12:45 a.m. Crews were stationed through the night at bridges along Rattlesnake Creek with auxiliary lighting and night vision equipment.
Approximately 30 people were searching Rattlesnake Creek Tuesday, Sheriff Ron Ward told The Highland County Press.
"Our best hope is that he is out of the creek," Ward said, noting they believe he is 200 to 300 yards from the waterfall. Almost 99 percent of the time people who jump in this water are fine, Ward said. But there are a lot of obstacles in the swiftly moving muddy water.
The sheriff's office received the initial call just after 8 p.m. Monday, that a man had jumped from the East Monroe falls and disappeared into the water. It was reported that the man went into the water approximately 25 minutes prior to the call. Ward said that witnesses reported they searched the waters themselves at first, and then had to make their way up from the creek and out of the woods before the call could be made.
"(Witnesses) expressed their concern about the flow and debris in the creek, but this young man (allegedly) decided to go ahead and jump in," Ward said.
According to Ward, after jumping feet-first into the water, 19-year-old Andrew Smith, of Washington C.H., indicated to the group of five people he was with that he may have been injured. He surfaced twice, and then the group lost sight of him as he was carried downstream, Ward said.
Emergency crews used the East Monroe United Methodist Church on Monroe Road as a staging area for the search, and the church opened its doors to accommodate the crews and family members of the missing man.
A dive team from Ross County was preparing to go into the water around 3 p.m.
Ward said the search area has been pinned down to approximately a one-mile span of the creek.
"We've kind of went into a recovery mode versus a rescue mode," Ward said. "We believe if he was along the banks waiting for help we would have found him already."
Ward said that he would not say how long the crews would continue to search, but that search efforts would continue at least until nightfall (Tuesday)."
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