Whitfield County: Man may have fallen in river, drowned

Brett Thomason’s sister said her brother likely died because he fell into the Conasauga River and could not get out of the deep, cold water.

Whitfield County Coroner Bobbie Dixon confirmed that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had identified Mr. Thomason’s body, which was found Saturday in the river. Officials notified the family early Monday afternoon.

“He was found with one boot on and one boot off,” Ms. Thomason said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon. “They determined he drowned trying to get his boots off because they were dragging him down.”

Brett Thomason, 19, went on a boat trip with two friends on a subfreezing night Feb. 19. He put the friends ashore and said he was going to keep going. No one saw him again.

A manhunt went on for days. Searchers soon found the boat about a mile from where Mr. Thomason dropped off his friends. The body was about eight-tenths of a mile downstream from that spot, officials said.

Ms. Thomason said authorities determined her brother may have gotten out of the boat to look for his friends, then returned to the boat and fallen into the water. He could have been overcome by the combination of cold temperatures, deep water and heavy clothing.

Mr. Thomason would have gone to Marine Corps boot camp in April. Ms. Thomason said becoming a Marine had been her brother’s longtime dream, and she didn’t believe speculation that he was avoiding the service.

But she never thought he had drowned, either.

“It had just rained, and the river was up,” she said. “I never from the beginning thought that he would be in the river because he is a very strong swimmer. He’s very fit and very tough and very determined.”

The family has not yet determined funeral or memorial arrangements, Ms. Thomason said.

Other family members could not be reached for comment Monday.