COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Marcus L. Martin felt instant trepidation Sunday when he saw five adults wading thigh- and waist-deep in the Scioto River. A frequent boater on the Ohio waterway, the Baptist pastor knew the area where they were standing to be treacherous. He believes the people he captured in a photo to be the ill-fated group that drowned that day. “I just remember being taught that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes” and a quick drop-off into the river, he told The Associated Press. A few years earlier, Martin had warned a pair of young people playing in the water at that same spot to “be very careful.”He saw five adults in the water and two children playing on the grassy bank nearby, tracking the description of the group provided by Delaware County authorities after the drownings.
In this photo provided by Pastor Marcus L. Martin, a group of people he believes were those who died in a recent drowning accident, are shown fishing along the Scioto river in Powell, Ohio, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Pastor Marcus L. Martin via AP)
Pastor may have taken ‘the last picture’ of the groupMartin and his family floated away to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. But when they returned past the spot about two hours later and saw the group still wading in the river, Martin thought to snap a photo.
