MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Multiple agencies conducted a frantic, days-long search for a man who went missing in the Wolf River after a heroic act turned tragic. Search operations occurred Friday and Saturday. As of 8 a.m. Sunday morning, the rescue efforts continued.
Officials said 31-year-old Thaddeus Smiley was trying to rescue a young child when he was swept away.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, 11 people were hanging out on a sandbar in the middle of the river just before 2 p.m. Friday. A child started struggling to swim, then Smiley and another man went into the water to save the child.
The child and one of the rescuers made it back to dry land, but Smiley didn’t.
“More than 100 first responders and volunteers are involved in the search operations,” Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said.
On Sunday, the agencies involved include multiple divisions of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office including Volunteer Services Bureau, Uniform Patrol, Drone Team, Search and Rescue, and Emergency Services, as well as the Millington Fire Department Search and Rescue, Memphis Fire Department Search and Rescue, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resouces Agency (TWRA).
Six boat teams, partnering fire departments, three drone teams are deployed. TWRA are patrolling the river with three sonar teams scanning the riverbed using specialized equipment and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office dive team.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, 35 deputies, firefighters, and volunteers are searching over six miles of the river from Walnut Grove to the old Austin Peay overpass on Sunday.
“The current is moving at about six miles an hour, creating challenging and dangerous search conditions,” Buckner said.
Sheriff Floyd Bonner was on the scene. Partway through the search, Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley arrived.
JB Smiley told FOX13 Thaddeus Smiley is his nephew.
“Our hearts and our prayers certainly go out to Mr. Smiley, his family, and his friends,” Buckner said.
Buckner stressed the importance of teaching young people to swim and the dangers of the Wolf River.
In recent years, “secret beaches” along the riverbanks have become popular summertime destinations. According to Buckner, it can be impossible to tell whether debris is being swept under the water’s surface or whether the current will pick up and carry someone away.
“Even the most experienced swimmers can find themselves in trouble when they enter the Wolf River,” he said.
Buckner said the child Smiley was trying to rescue was not injured.
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