Boy’s body found in Polk County creek after 8-day search

Bradley County Fire & Rescue workers Matt Ballard, left, and Mike Tyndall use their kayaks to help search for the bodies of an adult and two young children who went missing after a boat they were in overturned last Wednesday. The accident happened near Delano and Conasauga creeks, in the small town of Delano, Tenn., near the Polk-McMinn county line.

Photo by Dan Henry.

Rescue teams in Polk County on Thursday found the body of a boy who went missing with his family more than a week ago in Conasauga Creek.

Those searching the creek found the body of 6-year-old Lazarus Alley in the water around noon. Lazarus appeared in an area that had previously been searched thoroughly, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Jeff Bishop said. The bodies of Nick Alley, 36, and his 6-year-old daughter, Helana, were still missing Thursday afternoon.

Alley took Helana, Lazarus and three of his other children onto Conasauga Creek in a canoe on Jan. 16. Heavy rains flooded the creek, and the canoe tipped over. The three other children escaped safely while Alley, Helana and Lazarus went missing.

After finding Lazarus, Bishop said, the search continued.