On the afternoon of Sunday, May 24, 2020, around 2:15 PM, a 23-year-old male from out-of-state was swimming in the river at Little Falls near a group of friends. The individual was seen going below the water and he never resurfaced. First responders were immediately dispatched and on-scene within minutes and a search and rescue operation was initiated.
National Park Service rangers, Fischer Rescue Squad, Fort Payne Fire Department, and DeKalb Ambulance Service all responded to the scene for the rescue and recovery. First responders located the body of the victim and recovered him at 3:10 PM. The victim was brought out of the canyon and turned over to the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office around 4:20 PM.
No further information is available at this time pending notification of the victim’s family.
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.
Tags: little river canyon national preserve
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
