Search resumes for missing boaters in Tennessee
Published 8:22 am Wednesday, February 26, 2020
SAVANNAH (AP) — Crews resumed the search Monday for a Tennessee man and two teens who were reported missing following a weekend fishing tournament on Pickwick Lake.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency identified the missing as two 15-year-old boys and a 43-year-old man. TWRA spokeswoman Amy Snider-Spencer said the search on the Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake in Hardin County resumed Monday morning.
Snider-Spencer said their boat was found Monday on the river near Savannah, but the boaters remain missing. Water levels on the Tennessee River, Pickwick Lake and other waterways in the area are high and “extremely dangerous” due to heavy rains in past weeks, she said.
Volunteers have been offering to help with the search but they have been asked to stay away due to the high water, Snider-Spencer said.
Obion County Director of Schools Tim Watkins told news outlets that the three were part of a high school fishing team and had been on the water Saturday for a tournament.
They were reported missing Sunday night after not returning home, he said.
“The boat which they were in was having engine problems before the start of the competition and did not leave the dock with the rest of the competitors,” Watkins said.
“It was believed that they had taken the boat out of the water and gone home,” Watkins said. “Evidently they decided to go ahead and try to compete.”