Fort Payne, Ala. – On the afternoon of Friday, April 3, 2020, a call was placed to 9-1-1 reporting a 33 year old male from Chilton County had gone underwater and not come back up while swimming on the Little River at Little River Canyon National Preserve. First responders were immediately dispatched an on-scene within minutes and a search and rescue operation was initiated.
National Park Service rangers, Fischer Rescue Squad, Fort Payne Fire Department, DeKalb County Sheriff Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Cherokee County Coroner’s Office, and DeKalb Ambulance Service all responded to the scene for the rescue and recovery. The victim was recovered and extracted from the canyon by ALEA helicopter at 3:26 PM and turned over to the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office.
For more information, please contact Park Ranger/Public Information Officer Matt Switzer at 256-845-9605 and Cherokee County Coroner’s Office at 256-927-6612.
