CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Several days after a child was reported missing at Billy Dunlop Park, Clarksville officials announced that his body had been found.
The Clarksville Police Department stated that it responded to Billy Dunlop Park shortly after 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, to assist Clarksville Fire Rescue and Montgomery County EMS with a water rescue. A father reported that his 12-year-old son had gone missing after being last seen in a river.
Dive teams suspended operations Sunday night, but continued on Monday, May 19, with the help of search and rescue dogs.
The following day, Clarksville Fire Rescue announced that it had to suspend “on-water recovery operations” along the West Fork of the Red River at Billy Dunlop Park, citing “weather conditions and safety concerns, rapidly rising water levels and dangerously strong currents, have forced us to redirect our efforts from the water to bank patrols and, when conditions allow, water patrols with available watercraft.”
According to fire officials, CPD, the Clarksville Parks and Recreation Department, the Clarksville mayor’s office, the Montgomery County EMS dive team, the Stewart County dive team, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Waterdogs dive team, and Cumberland K9 Search and Recovery all played important roles in the efforts.
(Courtesy: City of Clarksville)
(Courtesy: City of Clarksville)
(Courtesy: City of Clarksville)
(Courtesy: City of Clarksville)
Clarksville Fire Rescue announced at 10:10 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, that “on-water search/recovery” operations would resume along the West Fork of the Red River.
However, just a few hours later, officials announced that the 12-year-old boy’s body had been discovered at around 10:24 a.m., less than a mile downstream from the original search area. The child’s family was notified.
Billy Dunlop Park and Robert Clark Park will remain closed until further notice.
There have been no additional details released about the deadly incident.
