A 31-year-old man died while trying to save a young child at risk of being swept away in a river in Tennessee.
Thaddeus Smiley, 31, was among a group of 11 people hanging out on a sandbar in the middle of Wolf River in Memphis just before 2 p.m. May 30, when a child started struggling to swim, prompting Smiley and another man to jump into the water to save the child, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner said in a press conference.
While the child and the other rescuer made it out of the water uninjured, Smiley wasn't as fortunate and got caught up in the current.
A search and rescue operation involving more than 100 first responders and volunteers was launched and continued for three days over the weekend before Smiley's body was eventually located about half a mile from where he went into the water on June 1.
Six boat teams from multiple agencies and three drone teams were deployed in the search operation that covered over 8 miles of the river from Walnut Grove to Hollywood overpass, while Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency patrolled the river with three sonar teams scanning the riverbed using specialized equipment. A sheriff’s office dive team was also engaged in the operation, which was challenging and dangerous due to the current moving at about six miles an hour, Buckner said.
